Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Secret Of Goldee
by Dimatariel
Summary: (COMPLETED!) Sally Goldee is being chased throughout the Caribbean for an unknown reason, but her name rings a bell to the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow, and together they must save a dreaded treasure from falling into the wrong hands... Please R&R!
1. Introducing the Tinys

Right, here we go...! This is my first PotC fanfic, so please be gentle. ;) I'd love some reviews on it, though.. (And by the way, Jack DOES appear in the first chapter, though it may not look like he's going to!)  
  
***  
  
  
  
INTRODUCING THE TINYS  
  
  
  
It was a quiet night, at least considering how things usually were like at The Cursed Villain. Working there had turned out to be better than I thought. Of course I had feared working at The Villain, its rumours were without exception about whores and drunken sailors with little or no money. Needless to say was violence also a common word used to describe the pub The Cursed Villain.  
  
But I was no whore. And I'd worked in plenty of worse places than this one. Like the house in Tortuga, which had been a living nightmare. Such a job would I never take again, not even if I was completely desperate.  
  
As it happened, I WAS completely desperate when I took the job on The Villain. It looked like a shabby, scary kind of pub, and I knew for a fact that its second floor was only used by prostitutes and their customers. On a small island such as this, one couldn't find a pub without violence, whores and too much rum. But I had found the best one there was, I guess I could say.  
  
"Hard day, Sally?" Pete said to me.  
  
Pete was one of the regular customers. He used to have Peg, one of the girls there, as his personal company (if there is such a term), but after he'd lost his ship and gotten older he had given up on her, and now he would just show up on The Villain every night to talk about whatever popped into his mind.  
  
"Nah," I answered, giving him another glass. "It's never been this quiet before. I think there's a lot of the navy out at sea nowadays, keeping the scum at bay, if you know what I'm sayin'?"  
  
"Aye, I know," Pete grinned. "Must be hard for ya though, Sal, when there's no men around to please?"  
  
"Keep your hole shut, Pete, like I do with mine," I said.  
  
My only duty at The Villain was to serve the customers with whatever they wanted to eat or drink. I didn't offer any other services, and knowing that, Pete loved messing with me. He used to call me snotty, saying I thought too much of myself for not letting a guy "experience" me, as he had put it.  
  
But Pete was an old man now, one I didn't care about. What he said had little or no effect on me, it was just a conversation to make time pass.  
  
It was getting late, and the few customers we'd had that evening were slowly leaving. As there was no more than three or four left in the pub, Peg came down stairs with a man she quickly pushed out through the door. Finally I was no longer alone on the first floor.  
  
"How was it then?" I said to Peg, smiling.  
  
"As boring as always, love," she replied, giving me a hand with cleaning the tables. The few men left in the pub were too tired to even react on us starting to clean up with them still present. Usually we wouldn't clean up at all during night, there would be too many customers. "I'm getting' really tired of it. Ya should be glad all ya have to serve is drinks."  
  
I smiled. "Well, I guess the owner showed me mercy. Maybe you should ask for some yourself, if it's so horrible?"  
  
"Nah. It's all right, at least there's some money in it for me as well. I bet I make more than ya, Golden Sally."  
  
I laughed. "Yeah, you do. But at what cause."  
  
I noticed Pete had fallen asleep just as the door creaked. Someone was entering our dark, abandoned pub this late at night? I had really thought it to be the end of the evening, but clearly, I was wrong.  
  
"You take care of it, Peg," I whispered to her. "I don't wanna deal with any more drunk, horny sailors tonight."  
  
"Fine, love," Peg said, and went over to the three gentlemen who had by then taken a seat by one of the empty tables. As I finished cleaning, I stopped not too far away, but in the shadows, listening in on the covernsation. The gentlemen were different than the usual we got in there. They were more... dressed up, more decent. Like they were someone important.  
  
"Nothing to drink, thank you," I heard one of them say to Peg with a fine, clean voice. "And definitely none of that!" he beamed as she'd tried to stroke him across the chest. "We're not here to get accompanied by the common whore. We just want some information."  
  
"Fine," Peg said, acting hurt at the rejection, although I knew she was atually quite happy with not having to please another man this late at night. "What is it you be wantin' to know from me?"  
  
"We are looking for a Goldee," the man replied.  
  
My heart made a big jump. Goldee?  
  
"A miss Sally Goldee. We've been told she has taken a refuge on this island. Do you know where we can find her?"  
  
I made sure I stayed hidden in the shadows, so the gentlemen could not see me. But Peg caught my eye, as if to ask me what she should reply. I quickly shook my head fiercly towards her, and she nodded. "No," Peg said to the gentlemen. "I don't know Sally Goldee, and she's never been 'round here no where. I suggest you go look elsewhere. I've been told she's in Tortuga, maybe that's where you should be lookin'."  
  
The man stood up, facing Peg close up. "Listen, you whore," he said. "We've been to Tortuga. We've been to every bloody island in the Caribbean looking for Sally Goldee, and everyone gives us that same reply. We've been told she's hiding on this island." He reached for his sword, making sure Peg could see it. "Are you SURE you haven't seen her?"  
  
"Are you deaf?" Peg replied. "I ain't seen her, she's not on this island! I don't know what ya be wantin' with Sally Goldee, but I can't help ya! Now kindly take your hand off your sword, sir, or leave my pub!"  
  
The man slowly took his hand off the sword. "You just keep an eye out," he finally said, as his fellow friends stood up. "If you see Sally Goldee, you are not to tell anyone that you have seen her. Is that clear? We will be back here in a few days, and if you have seen her, you will tell us and nobody else. Do you understand?"  
  
"Why're ya comin' back?" Peg asked fiercly. "I've already told ya I don't know where this Sally Goldee is."  
  
"We need to confirm what our sources have told us," the man explained. "Too many people have said Sally Goldee is on this island, too many for it to be a coincidence. So we'll be back. And if you find out she's here, you keep your mouth shut until we're back. Okay?"  
  
"Fine," Peg said. "I don't even know what this Goldee looks like, but I'll sure keep my eye out for her!" she finished angrily as they left The Villain.  
  
I came out from the shadows and approached Peg.  
  
"That was one mean lad," she said. "What could he be wantin' with ya, Sally?"  
  
"I don't know," I replied. "But he didn't seem like the sort of man I want lookin' for me. Hopefully he doesn't know what I look like, and so his return here will lead him to nothing. I hope I'll have no trouble with him."  
  
"Aye," Peg said. "I don't know what he could be wantin' with ya, but he didn't seem like any good guy. Lets just hope he doesn't speak to anyone else who knows who ya are."  
  
"Don't worry," I said. "Whoever he was, it was probably nothing. A lot of names get lost for the wrong purpose around here, he was probably given the wrong name by someone. After all, what could he possibly be wantin' with me?"  
  
***  
  
Jack emptied his bottle. To the pirates around him, it would seem as though he had been drinking all evening, and they would be surprised to see him being able to even stand up.  
  
But Jack had started on an already pretty much empty bottle of rum, and his body language had permanently become that of a drunken pirate's. Although Jack enjoyed drinking, it was a great advantage for him that people about him thought him as less of a threat than what he really was, because he seemed permanently wasted.  
  
"Next time, don't bring your own drinks," the maid grinned to Jack. "Can I get you a glass now, Captain?"  
  
"No, no," Jack replied. "I think I've had enough."  
  
"Well, that's a first," she replied, and went off.  
  
Jack leaned his elbows on the table, looking around in the overfilled and loud pub. Pirates from all over the Caribbean would come here, and there was always noise, fight and rum everywhere you looked. Jack enjoyed it. Usually, he would participate in the activities, but on this particular evening he had intentionally taken care not to get too sloshed.  
  
Gibbs, one of his crew, had earlier that day spotted the Tinys on the bay. And seeing as how these lads were always looking for trouble - not to mention Jack - he had decided to be careful with the rum, in case he needed to use his brains on an encounter with them.  
  
The Tinys were the pirates' nickname for a group of rich earls and dukes from Port Royal. Calling themselves "the law", they often travelled about on the seas trying to fulfil the duties that the navy never managed. But they rarely succeeded, because they were short in number and not on the least as good fighters as the pirates they often stood up against.  
  
As it happened, one of the pirates they often stood up against, was Captain Jack Sparrow.  
  
They had been searching for him since the day he escaped on Commodore Norrington, and they still searched. Jack had encountered them on several occasions, but he had always gotten away, some times with more luck than others. But Jack knew he had to take certain precautions when it came to the Tinys, because they were often better armed with guns than he was. A bullet kills fast, he constantly reminded himself in order to stay off the rum, at least until the Tinys had left Tortuga.  
  
As Jack stood up to leave, he was approached by an old and shabby pirate he immediately recognized as Peter Derry, a man originally from the small and obscene island Warren. Pete Derry, who had been a great and dreaded pirate in his prime days, was now a tired and sad old man who just wanted to waste his last years talking.  
  
"Hello there," he said to Jack and took a seat. Jack considered for a moment on whether he should just leave the old man or stay there for a few more minutes, then went for the last option.  
  
"Jack Sparrow, am I right?"  
  
Jack nodded. "Captain," he added, noticing Pete's obvious drunkeness as they shook hands.  
  
"Right, right, Captain," Pete agreed. "What brings ya to Tortuga in these days? It's not wise, ya know."  
  
"Yeah, I know," Jack said.  
  
"After all, the Tinys -"  
  
"Yeah, the Tinys are here. I know," Jack interrupted. "Ya don't have to tell me, mate, I'm trying to keep a low profile."  
  
"Oh, they're after the lot of us," Pete sighed, a powerful smell of alcohol escaping his lips. "But they wouldn't be takin' an old man like meself, lad... Not Pete Derry, oh no."  
  
"Ya should consider yerself lucky, then," Jack replied. "But they're not here to get their hands on every pirate in Tortuga. Not even the Tinys are that stupid, they're here for a special reason."  
  
"What reason?" Pete asked curiously.  
  
Jack shrugged. "Don't know."  
  
"Oh, speak of the devil," Pete mumbled as he stared towards the door. Through the many pirates and ladies in the pub he and Jack could clearly spot what had to be four Tinys entering. Their strict apperance and fine clothing spoke for itself. The pirates about them yelled and laughed at them, mocking them as they passed through the pub. It was a known fact that the Tinys were even less popular than the navy on the seas because they thought they were good enough to deal with pirates and criminals all by themselves, taking the law in their own hands. Cocky dukes and earls, they were. Although they had lost a lot of their battles, they were still doing what they thought of as their duty. And they were more than likely to kill every pirate in the pub, had they not had with a special errand.  
  
The four men approached the lady working in the bar as the noise and normal mess took up again.  
  
Jack stayed hidden in the shadows of the corner where his table was, making sure his drunken company Pete kept his voice down. "If they're here for me, I'll know it," Pete whispered. "They'll laugh if they see me, I'm nuttin' but the shadow of Peter Derry."  
  
"Relax mate, it's not yer day," Jack whispered, closely observing the Tinys. They hadn't seen him, and hopefully, they wouldn't. "They're lookin' for someone special."  
  
"Yeah, I know," Pete said. "And it's not me."  
  
Jack looked at him. "You're drunk, mate, you're not talkin' sense. Be quiet."  
  
"I know I said it could be me they'd be wantin'," Pete continued, "but it's not, and I know it. I know who it is. So now I have to realize, I'm no longer wanted for anythin'..."  
  
"Stop yer whining," Jack mumbled. Then he realized what the old idiot had just said. "Pete," he whispered, staring at the old man, "do ya know who they'd be wantin'?"  
  
"Yes, of course," the drunk replied. "I was there when they first started their search. Well, I don't know if that's when the search started, it's difficult to remember, really... But I was there, mate... I've seen it with me own eyes, they're lookin' fer her."  
  
"Fer who? Who are they looking fer?" Jack asked.  
  
"Sally," Pete sighed. "Poor, little Sally. And she's such a young one, too... Such a shame they'd be wantin' her..."  
  
"Sally? Who's Sally?" Jack waited eagerly, still keeping a close eye on the Tinys making sure they wouldn't spot him. Even if they were looking for this Sally, they could still be wanting to take care of him once and for all if they got the opportunity.  
  
"Golden Sally," Pete answered. "That little one... With the black hair who's on Warren island. She works in The Villain!" he added with enthusiasm. "I grew up there, mate... Not far from The Villain..."  
  
"Golden Sally?" Jack said. "Why does that sound familiar?"  
  
"Oh, it ain't her real name," Pete continued. "Her name's Sally Gold, or somethin' like that. She used to work here, I think, a year ago or so... They'd be wantin' her for something, but I don't know what. I was there, the night they came to The Villain askin' fer her. I pretended to be asleep, ya see, so they wouldn't get to me, but I realize I'm not wanted by no one no more, so I guess there was no point in me fakin' my sleep..." His talk continued and turned into obsessive whining about his glorious days, and Jack decided it was time to leave the drunken Peter Derry.  
  
He got up and sneaked silently through the crowd in the pub, taking every precaution not to be spotted by the Tinys. As he walked through the door he could just make our the last sentence spoken by the barmaid: "No, like I told you gentlemen the last time you were here, miss Sally Goldee quit over a year ago. She went off to another island, I told you already, I think it was Warren island..."  
  
At that, Captain Jack Sparrow left the pub and ran quickly into Tortuga's darkness with only his ship and the name Sally Goldee in mind...  
  
  
  
***  
  
Right, there's my first chapter! Please review, I would love some comments! 


	2. The Cursed Villain

Right, I posted two chapters quite quickly, to make the story a bit more exciting... The adventure won't happen in the first chapter, after all, so I felt like updating very quickly this first time to get really into the story... Anyway, enjoy:  
  
***  
  
  
  
THE CURSED VILLAIN  
  
  
  
"Look, Sally! I found ya another one!"  
  
I heard Lily's voice already as she was running up the stairs to the second floor.  
  
We were all sitting in Peg's "love room", as she called it, discussing the day. The four of us girls had the afternoon off, with nothing more to do than eat and talk.  
  
Lily entered the room, waving a piece of paper in the air. "I found ya another one!" she repeated and handed it to me.  
  
I looked at it, and my face changed its expression. Lily had given me yet another Wanted-poster of Captain Jack Sparrow. "It's not amusing, Lily!" I said, throwing the poster back at her as she sat down on the floor.  
  
"I think it is, love," she smiled.  
  
"I've told you to stop giving me those," I sighed.  
  
"What's that?" Peg said, sitting on the bed with Theresa eating chicken and drinking rum as repulsive as a man would do it. "Give it here, Lily!"  
  
"Drop it," I said, but Lily reached for the poster and passed it on to Peg before I could stop her.  
  
"What's this, then?" Peg said when she and Theresa had seen what it was. "Ya got a thing for that Captain Sparrow, Sally?"  
  
"No!" I said angrily, and it was the truth, but Lily kept laughing.  
  
Lily had known me longer than any of the girls in The Cursed Villain. She was the one who had gotten me the job without me becoming a whore as well, as she was the one accompanying the pub's owner it had been an easy thing for her. So Lily and I had become close friends, and I'd told Lily about the most of my experiences. Although I was younger than all the other girls at the pub, I had been more around then most of them, and Lily had always been eager on hearing about the places I'd been. She particularly liked to hear about the time I'd worked in a pub in Tortuga. That's where she'd be wanting to go some day, if she ever got the opportunity to leave Warren.  
  
"What with the poster, then?" Theresa said, smiling.  
  
"It's Lily's joke," I replied, reaching for a bottle and leaning my back against the bed. "I have absolutely not got a thing for Sparrow, quite the opposite."  
  
Peg moved closer to me on the bed, clearly taking an interest in what she was hearing. "What are you sayin'? D'ya know that Sparrow fella?"  
  
"She did," Lily said before I even got a chance to answer. "A coupla years ago, they knew each other quite well, I should daresay!"  
  
The girls all laughed, as if it was amusing. I couldn't see what was so funny. "Stop it, Lily," I said. "You're makin' too big a deal of this."  
  
"Did you really know Captain Sparrow, Sal?" Theresa asked with curiosity. "How is he? Mysterious?"  
  
"Yeah, and permanently drunk," I replied. "He's a rude, disgusting, horny and drunken pirate, no different from the rest of them."  
  
"Say what you like, I've heard some excitin' stuff about him," Peg said.  
  
"Well, you've heard shit," I sighed.  
  
"How do ya know him?" Theresa asked.  
  
"Look, what's with all this talk about Sparrow!" I said angrily. "He's nothin' big! He's a boring, stupid pirate who I may have spoken a few words with in the past, nothin' more. And I can't stand the creature," I added.  
  
The girls were silent for a moment or so, then Lily said with a grin: "Ya wanna know why she hates him, girls?"  
  
"Why?" Peg asked enthusiastically.  
  
"Because he walked out on her," Lily smiled. "Left her without a word."  
  
I looked up at her. What was she saying? That was a blunt lie! "You're talking about something you know nothing of, Lily!" I said. "He didn't leave me, because I never did nothin' with that Sparrow fella! He used to try and have his way with me, and I always refused. So there you are, that's how I knew Captain Jack Sparrow, and he didn't walk out on me! I would never have gotten involved with someone like tha'!"  
  
"What happened then?" Peg asked eagerly. "It doesn't sound like that's the end o' the story..."  
  
"It ain't," Lily smiled. "Sure, they would just flirt and mock each other, but I've been told they were really quite taken with each other, just none of them had the guts to say anythin'! He used to come there reagularly, and he always talked to Sally, flirted with her..."  
  
"...and tried to have his way with me," I added.  
  
"But then one day, he never came back. Six months passed without a word or a visit, he never came back to that pub, so Sally quit."  
  
"That's why you quit in Tortuga?" Peg asked with a shock. "I can't believe it!"  
  
"It's not why I quit," I said. "I got a chance to get away from that rotten place, a chance to go to a smaller, quieter place, like this. That's why."  
  
"It must have been awful with him leavin' you like tha'," Theresa said quietly.  
  
"He didn't leave me," I said. "I couldn't stand the man. I know him, but I still hate him. And him never comin' back to that pub was a blessin'! And I'm happy where I am now, with you and all."  
  
We were quiet for a while. I think the girls were still trying to understand all the stuff about Jack Sparrow. Every word I had told them was true, but I had failed to mention how there was something good about him as well. Captain Sparrow was fascinating in a way that most men aren't. There was something mystical about him. And even though he'd had his way with half of the girls in Tortuga, I felt sort of special when he kept trying to get lucky with me. I worked there for a little over a year, and for the first seven months he'd come in regularly, several times a month, and we'd always talk. Mock each other, surely, but talk friendly also, on some occasions. And I remember the really exciting moments, if I went too far and spoke to fouly of him, he would draw his sword on me if there was no one else around. Sure, it was scary, but it was exciting as well. And I knew he wouldn't hurt me, I just knew it. But he enjoyed having that power over me, I could tell.  
  
So sure, I was disappointed when suddenly he stopped coming in to the pub. Six months and not a visit from neither him nor his crew mates. In those months I realized what an idiot he was, what a bastard and a disgusting, drunken pirate he really was. I guess I could say I learned the truth when he was no longer there to tell me otherwise.  
  
"I wonder if he ever felt somethin' real fer ya," Peg said after a long while. "Wouldn't tha' be excitin' if he did?"  
  
"Do ya really think Captain Jack Sparrow loves anything besides himself and his ship?" Lily said. "Don't be stupid, Peg, 'course he didn't feel somethin' real fer her. It was just a game, like with all them other girls he went for."  
  
"He kept goin' after Sally for half a year," Theresa said. "That musta meant somethin'."  
  
"You clearly don't know Jack Sparrow," I said with a smile. "He was goin' after me because I was there, see? Because I was workin' in that very pub that he always visited. It was just convenient, I was always there if he wanted to give it a try. It was nothin' more to it than that."  
  
"Hey, I just thought of somethin'," Peg said. "Remember those fancy lads that turned up here, Sally?"  
  
I nodded.  
  
"What fancy lads?" Lily asked.  
  
"These snobby gentlemen with the nice clothes and talk that came and asked fer Sally Goldee. I never saw them again after that night. It musta been two weeks ago by now, ey?"  
  
"Yeah, almost two weeks," I agreed. "One and a half, maybe. I told you they'd probably just gotten the wrong name."  
  
"Guess ya were right, love," she agreed. "I wonder why someone would be givin' them yer name, though..."  
  
"Maybe Captain Jack Sparrow is lookin' fer ya!" Lily laughed, and at that I threw a pillow at her with rage. I guess it was unavoidable by then for it not to turn into a big pillow fight between us four girls. Sometimes that's fun.  
  
***  
  
Jack walked quietly through the streets on Warren island. He hadn't been there in several years, but nothing had changed. The streets, the buildings, the people, it was as dull and dead as it always had been. Jack couldn't help but wondering why Golden Sally had left a place like Tortuga for this.  
  
As the sun was going down, the crowd in the streets grew smaller. Jack had feared that this might happen. In small places like on Warren island, people would go inside and to bed a lot earlier than on the bigger islands. So by the time the evening was near, the only people on the streets would be pirates or, if they had arrived, the Tinys.  
  
Jack had arrived earlier that day with the Black Pearl, and now he was slowly making his way through the streets looking for The Cursed Villain. He had been there before, but he couldn't recall when or under what circumstances. Either it was so long ago he'd forgotten, or he had been so drunk it had been wiped from his mind. Either way, not knowing the streets made his search for the pub somewhat more difficult than it could have been.  
  
He turned around a street corner, to face yet another, completely identical street. And there was no sign of The Villain what so ever.  
  
"This'll take forever," he said to himself, took a deep breath and then started the walk down the street.  
  
He realized just about then his suspicions had been correct: At the end of the street, before he could turn the corner, someone else did, and they practically walked straight into him.  
  
"Well, well, Jack Sparrow!" one of the five men said as they'd realized what had happened.  
  
Jack stared back. Curse this island! Now he suddenly found himself face to face with no less than five Tinys, all armed and smiling their annoying, smug smiles.  
  
"Finally you're not surrounded by the friends who protect you," one of the Tinys said, raising his gun against the pirate. "This is your time to die."  
  
"Listen, lads," Jack said, holding up his hands as if to defend himself against the Tinys and their weapons. "I'm actually in a bit of a hurry here, so if we could do all this later..."  
  
"Not later, Jack," the Tiny said. "Now."  
  
"Yeah, I thought so," he sighed.  
  
"It's your turn tonight, Captain Sparrow. Your turn to pay for all the evil you have caused! We, the law, sentence you to death."  
  
"Now that's already been done," Jack said with a sarcastic smile. "And I must say, even for gentlemen of the law like yourselves it's really not just to shoot a man with no chance to defend himself. You're five, I'm one. And you're ready to shoot me. Now that's really not fair, don't you agree?"  
  
"Shut your mouth, Sparrow," the Tiny said. "You had this coming the day you started your piracy. I'm just happy I am the one who gets to kill you." Just as he prepared to fire at Jack, one of the other Tinys tapped him on the shoulder and whispered something in his ear. "No," Jack heard him reply, "we've got time. It's only a lousy shot, we'll find The Cursed Villain and that Sally Goldee in a few minutes."  
  
Jack's eyes widened. These were the Tinys searching for Sally Goldee! But they had to be a different group than those who last visited Warren, because they were clearly not familiar with the streets and where The Villain was. This could be my chance to survival, Jack thought. "The Cursed Villain?" Jack said, looking curiously at the five Tinys. "Now that's a great pub! Fine choice, gentlemen, if I may say so myself... Great ladies, great food and drink."  
  
The Tiny lowered his gun for a second. "Are you saying you've been to The Cursed Villain?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
"Oh, of course I have," Jack smiled. "Every pirate who's got any respect for himself drops by The Villain when he's at Warren island. It's a great place, mate. You're gonna love it - once you find it, of course."  
  
"Sir," one of the other Tinys said, "that's a point... The rumour that we're here must have reached the pub by now. Maybe this Sally Goldee gets a chance to flee again if we don't hurry."  
  
The Tiny pointing his gun against Jack thought for a moment. "Very well," he finally said, lowering his weapon a bit more. "Jack Sparrow, you will lead us to The Cursed Villain."  
  
"Now why would I wanna do that?"  
  
"Then you will live for perhaps five minutes longer, pirate," the Tiny replied, pointing the gun straight at Jack's face again.  
  
"Right, good point," Jack said. "It's this way, gentlemen..."  
  
He started walking down the street, with the five Tinys following him closely, and he felt their weapons pointing at his back and his neck. This was the only chance he had to escape. Now he had more trouble on his hands than ever before. Not only did he have to get to The Villain before the Tinys found it, he also had to make sure the Tinys didn't kill him on the spot.  
  
Jack lead them back through the street he'd been walking just a few minutes earlier, suddenly remembering one of the corners leading in to a numerous of other, small backstreets. As they reached the corner Jack seized the opportunity and jumped around the corner before the Tinys could either react or fire.  
  
"Hey, what the...?" he heard them say. "Sparrow!"  
  
Jack ran off through the small streets, around corners and through doors, whatever he could find that would lead him far away from the Tinys. He wasn't ready to die just yet.  
  
For a short period he could hear the Tinys following him, but he quickly lost them as he went fast through gates and alleys. Finally, after running what he meant was far enough, he stopped and listened.  
  
Not a sound, except for those of the few birds and the wind. He had lost the Tinys.  
  
Jack let out a pleasant sigh, feeling pretty good with himself. And the feeling was about to improve. Because as he looked around as to where he was, he found himself just ten meters away from a sign on a wall that said "The Cursed Villain".  
  
"Yeah, thought so," he said to himself and ran off to The Villain.  
  
He entered, finding the life on the inside quite merry, but far from as wild as it used to be in Tortuga. It was obvious that this was a small island with few visitors, compared to a lot of the other places he'd visited.  
  
Jack quickly got a hold of one of the barmaids. "Hey," he said, stopping her.  
  
"Hi there," she replied. "Me name's Peg, what can I do fer ya?" By then, Peg regonized who she was facing. "Why, you're..."  
  
"Sparrow's the name," Jack said quickly. "I need to know where Golden Sally is."  
  
"Golden Sally?"  
  
Jack sighed. "Her name's really Sally Gold, or somethin' like tha'. I've been told by Pete Derry she works here, now where is she?"  
  
Peg smiled. "Ah, so you've come fer Sally?" she said.  
  
Jack nodded, constantly staring towards the door to make sure no Tiny would suddenly enter.  
  
"She's upstairs," Peg said, pointing towards a door. "In there, up the steps, second door on yer right. Have fun," she added as he took off towards the door.  
  
Jack ran up the steps, and bursed in on the door where Peg had sent him.  
  
There she was. Sitting on the bed eating from a loaf of bread was Golden Sally. She looked up as he entered, and her eyes widened.  
  
"Why, Sally, you're as pretty as ever," Jack said with an evil smile.  
  
  
  
***  
  
Well, that's it for now... Please review! 


	3. Escaping the Tinys

Third chapter's up! Read! Enjoy!  
  
***  
  
  
  
ESCAPING THE TINYS  
  
  
  
I couldn't believe it.  
  
There, right in front of me, stood the hidious and drunken pirate I'd sworn never to encounter again. Captain Jack Sparrow. He'd just bursed in on me, it was the last thing in the world I would've expected.  
  
Yet there he was, wearing the very same clothes as the last day I saw him, with the dark hair and dark eyes, staring at me with a nasty grin. "Why, Sally, you're as pretty as ever," he said.  
  
"Jack?" I could think of nothing more to say. Why was he here? What had made him come? WHY?  
  
"Aye, the one and only, love," he replied as I stood up from the bed and approached him. Before he got a chance to react, or I got a chance to regret, I slapped him hard across the face.  
  
He stood there for a moment, clearly a bit shocked by my behaviour. "I often have that comin' to me, but this time I feel it was unprovoked. What's the occasion, Sally?"  
  
I stared angrily at him. What could I say? I didn't even know why I had done it myself. It just felt like the right thing to do. He was a pirate, after all, and a foul, smelling one at that. And it did actually feel as though he'd abandoned me back then, although I'd never admit such a thing to anyone.  
  
"No occasion," I answered. "It's just a habit I've got. You know, to slap pirates."  
  
He grinned. "Yer attitude hasn't changed, lass, I'm glad to 'ear it. Now listen, we can't stay here."  
  
I looked at him, confused. "What are you talkin' about, Sparrow? What are you doing here?"  
  
"I've come to take ya away, before it's too late," he said. "It may sound a bit... dramatic, but believe me, that's neccessary. You'll be in a big heap of trouble if you stay here."  
  
"You've come all the way to Warren to take me away from somethin' dangerous, is that what you're saying?" I asked.  
  
"Aye, Sal, that's what I'm sayin'."  
  
I almost felt like laughing. This was ridiculous! Jack and I had never been as close as Lily had insisted, we couldn't even refer to each other as "good friends". The only relationship we'd had between us had been him trying to get his way with me, and my refusing it. Mostly, that had been all, anyways. I couldn't help but remembering the few serious conversations we'd shared, no matter how few there were of them.  
  
But still... It was just ridiculous, him showing up. "Jack, I... I barely even remember you! You're just another one of those lads who used to come into the bar, and I'd serve ya drinks, and that had been it! I barely remember you!"  
  
"Now that hurts, love," he said with a smile. "But if it's any conselation, the memories of you are vague as well."  
  
I couldn't help but showing an expression of anger. His memories of me were vague? That was impossible. It had to be.  
  
"That's not important, lass," he said when he saw my expression. "I know who you are, and you know who I am. We all know each other, that's great. Now lets leave!"  
  
He reached for my hand, as if to assist me. "Hold on," I said, pulling my hand away before he could grab it. "Just what do you think you're doing, Sparrow? I ain't goin' nowhere! I'm happy here where I am! I'm not gonna run off somewhere with you!"  
  
"Sal," he said with a voice oppressed with anger and stress, "this is really not the time to be negotiatin'."  
  
"Negotiating? So you need me now, is that it?"  
  
He sighed. "All right, look. In about ten seconds, a group of at least five Tinys is gonna come runnin' through that door, lookin' fer YOU. Now you can either get out of here with me, and maybe live long enough to turn twenty, or you can stay and face what's comin' to ya. Your choice, love."  
  
"Tinys?" I said. "Who are they?"  
  
"This ain't the time for details, Sally!" he insisted, and grabbed my wrist with a painful strength. "They can't get their hands on you, savvy?"  
  
"But I can't just leave," I protested. "I know nothing of this! I am quite happy here, Jack, happier than I've been in a long time! I can't leave before I know if this is -"  
  
As if Jack had been psychic, at that very moment the door fled open and five men dressed in fancy clothes, pretty much like those worn by the gentlemen Peg had attended to two weeks ago, came storming in, guns and swords in hands.  
  
"- serious." I finished, and realized just what had happened.  
  
"Damn," Jack muttered.  
  
"Sparrow!" one of the men said. These had to be what Jack had called the "Tinys". The Tiny in front smiled, pointing his gun towards the pirate. "I really feared I had seen the last of you during my visit on Warren, but luckily, fate strikes on me again. And isn't it amusing that I should encounter both you and Sally Goldee in the same room?"  
  
"We really have a different sense of humour, duke," Jack replied with anger in his voice. Suddenly, before I could react, he reached for my hair and dragged my head back. Within seconds he'd pulled out a dagger and forced it to my throat.  
  
The Tinys immediately reacted. "No need to get dramatic, Sparrow," the duke said with a shaking voice. "She's no use to any of us dead."  
  
I could barely think. The feeling of cold steel against my skin made things a bit more complicated, and if I had been any braver or crazier, I would have found a way to kick Jack in the groin in order to get free, but since I'm none of those things, I didn't. I just stood there, holding my breath, praying that Jack hadn't gone mad enough to cut my throat in order to get to live for himself.  
  
"Just back up a bit, duke," Jack said. "And Sally may still be useful to ye."  
  
"Now, now," the duke whispered. "We both know you want your hands on the information she's got. We know you're not going to kill her, so just stop this stupid game. You can't win, Jack."  
  
"I'll find some other way to aquire that information, mate," Jack smiled. "Sure, it may get a bit tricky, but the alternative for lettin' her live is me own death, ain't it? Unless you're willin' to step out again and leave this place. Then the both of us may still 'ave a chance, savvy?"  
  
The Tinys apparently thought about it for a moment. Then finally, the duke spoke: "I could shoot you right now, Sparrow. Quick, but effective."  
  
"Now you see, that's not very wise," Jack replied. "This knife is an inch from her death. If you shoot me, no one knows what will happen to that knife as I die. D'ya know what I'm sayin'?"  
  
The duke stared fiercly at him. "Damn you, Sparrow, and all of your kind!"  
  
"If ye weren't so desperate for fame and glory, duke, you could 'ave gotten your hands on Captain Jack Sparrow." He smiled, and I noticed his grip on my hair loosened a bit. He seemed to be winning the argument...  
  
"We do not wish for the girl to be killed," the duke said. "But we can't move away from this door, Jack, that would be like betraying the law itself."  
  
"Aye," Jack agreed. "And since ye ARE the law, that would be really stupid..."  
  
Suddenly, he started backing up in the room, pulling me with him, the knife still at my throat. "It's been a pleasure, Tinys," Jack said, "but we've got some place to be." At that, we reached the end of the room, where a window stood open. I suddenly realized what he was planning to do.  
  
"Oh no," I said. "No, Sparrow, not the window. We're in the second floor!"  
  
"They're blockin' the door, love," he replied to be. Then he quickly leaned in towards my ear and whispered: "I jump first. Two seconds after, you jump. Savvy? Don't hestitate, or it'll be the last thing ya do."  
  
I gave him a quick nod. And just as the Tinys figured out they weren't gonna let Jack Sparrow jump out of the window with his hostage, Jack let go of me and made a jump straight out of the window.  
  
"No!" the duke beamed, and stared at me, raising his gun. "If you move, girl..." he started, but I didn't stay to hear the end of it. Before I got a chance to even consider not doing it, I climbed through the window and jumped down with a scream and closed eyes.  
  
I made a rather uncomfortable landing straight in the arms of Jack Sparrow. Mind you, I'm sure it would have been a lot more uncomfortable had he not been there to catch me.  
  
"Easy, love," he smiled as I fell into his arms. "This ain't the time for intimacy. We're in a hurry."  
  
I quickly loosened from his grip, but he didn't let go of my right hand. In stead, he quickly led me down through the streets. We hadn't gotten far before we could hear the voices of the Tinys chasing us.  
  
Jack led me through streets and alleys as fast as I could run, wearing my dress and stupid shoes. They weren't exactly pefect for a runaway, but I made better speed than a lady with a corset would have made.  
  
At last, we reached the bay, and Jack led me across the docks, and then I spotted what had to be his biggest pride: The Black Pearl.  
  
I recognized it immediately, it was the only ship with the black sails. It was a beautiful ship, even I have to admit to that. And I had always known it was Jack's pride, and the only thing he loved more than himself and his many treasures. Lily was indeed right, Jack couldn't possibly love a woman, not with a ship like that. It was every sailorman's dream, I'm sure of it.  
  
It didn't do as much for me, though, I have no big passion for ships. But even I could tell, this was a beauty.  
  
Jack stopped by a rowboat with two fishermen in it. "Stop foolin' around," he said to them, and they quickly dropped their fishing rods and helped me and Jack get into the boat. Just as the Tinys reached the docks, we were well on our way out to the Black Pearl.  
  
I sighed. Within few minutes, I had been dragged away from my home and my work, and now I was heading for the Black Pearl. For which reason, I still had no knowledge of. But Jack seemed too stressed to be able to answer any of my questions at the moment.  
  
"That was a close one, Captain," the man who was rowing said.  
  
"Aye, Gibbs, it was," Jack answered. "And they'll soon be followin' us in their ship, if I'm not mistaken."  
  
"We better get the Pearl out at sea quickly then," the man called Gibbs said, and he seemed to be speeding up his rowing. For a few seconds, he took a glance at me. "I see you got what you wanted," he said to Jack.  
  
He nodded. "Most girls are persuaded easier than she was."  
  
"I wasn't persuaded," I said, speaking for the first time since we'd left The Villain. "But I had to choose between you and those men in the room, and I chose you."  
  
"Good choice," Gibbs commented. He smiled at me, a gesture I did not retaliate. "Oh, come on," he said. "Don't you remember me, Sally?"  
  
I studied him. Had I seen this man before? Gibbs? "I don't recognize your name or your face..." I answered.  
  
"I used to come in with Jack," he said with a smile. "We love that pub, we really do. Don't ya remember, ya used to offer Jack free drinks, while I had to pay?"  
  
I looked angrily at him. There was something familiar about THAT, but I didn't want to admit it. "Jack had to pay," I mumbled.  
  
"I didn't get what I wanted to pay fer, though," Jack said with an evil grin.  
  
"You just never stop, do you?" I asked.  
  
At that, he simply smiled at me, and I decided to change the subject. "Can you now please tell what this is all about? I hope I haven't been dragged out of my home and my work and to your ship only so that I can assist you with your personal life, if you know what I'm sayin'."  
  
"I would have liked to think so," Jack replied, "but no, that's not the case, lass. I'm bringing ya to the Pearl to take ya to safety. Those Tinys and a dozen more of them are lookin' fer ya, and they won't stop till they've got their hands on you. You're lucky their search took them this long, otherwise ya woulda been caught by now."  
  
"Someone very much alike them dropped by The Villain almost two weeks ago," I said. "But I never met with them, and Peg told them I wasn't on Warren. But I guess someone confirmed their theory, so they came back."  
  
"Aye," Jack said. His eyes caught contact with mine. "D'ya know what they'd be wantin' ya fer, love?"  
  
I shook my head. "No. I can't think of anything..."  
  
"It's yer name," Gibbs said.  
  
"My name?"  
  
Jack nodded, yawning, as if he was bored with the situation. Maybe he got bored when rowing out to his ship took too long... "Aye, yer name. It's all 'bout ol' George Goldee, I'm takin' it you're related to him... He was wanted for a lot of things, but sadly he died out at sea three years ago or so."  
  
I didn't comment it, just nodded, to let Jack finish.  
  
"Well," Jack continued. "So they'll be wantin' to get their hands on ya, love, because you might be the one livin' creature in this world who can give them some information about George Goldee, seeing as how you two must be related. Besides," he added, "rumours has it that George Goldee came to see ya at some point."  
  
"So what if he did?" I said. "Was I not allowed to meet my relatives? Besides, he is dead now, what more could they be wantin' from me then?"  
  
Jack grinned. "Sally, darlin'... Those who say they saw George Goldee meet with you, say they saw the two of ya meet each other at The Cursed Villain."  
  
I froze.  
  
"And," Jack said, "as we all know, you've only worked at The Villain fer a year or so. But George Goldee's supposed to be dead three years ago. So either the rumours are nothin', or George Goldee's still alive... And that's why you're wanted all over the Caribbean, love..."  
  
  
  
***  
  
Right, there we are... Wow, three chapters in two days, that's not like me at all... Well, please review this, I'd love some comments! 


	4. Lily the Ignorant

Here's my fourth chapter, mates! ;) Hope you enjoy it, and please review, as always...  
  
***  
  
  
  
LILY THE IGNORANT  
  
  
  
We reached the Black Pearl shortly after Jack had told me I'd at some point been spotted in The Villain with George Goldee.  
  
It wasn't exactly in my plan. I remembered that evening, it had been eleven months ago or so. George had entered, wearing a big hat and jacket, obviously to hide from suspicious eyes who he was. Sadly, he hadn't done a good enough job, it would seem.  
  
I had decided on that night I wanted nothing more to do with George. Sure, we were family, but not even blood relations could undo the damage he'd caused me over the years. George was a scoundrel, a cheat, a throughout rotten man. But he was no pirate, and apparently no lawless.  
  
This, however, Jack didn't seem to know. It had caught my attention that Jack knew little or nothing about George and his business, only that he was wanted badly by both the Tinys and the British Empire when he was officially "alive". Jack had probably heard rumours about George Goldee having some fabulous treasure hidden somewhere, and that that's what everybody was seeking. George had a sort of treasure, I suppose you could say. He had a lot of things. But he wasn't wanted only for this stolen "treasure". There was more to George than I could ever have known.  
  
Jack and his crew helped me aboard the Black Pearl, and well on deck I saw the Tinys running all over the docks shouting, probably looking for their rowboats or something like that, an opportunity to get out to their ship before we would slip through their fingers and get away.  
  
But then I spotted something. Running down to the docks was a girl, wearing a raggy and torn dress, her hair pretty messy and she was shouting wildly.  
  
It was Lily.  
  
"Sally!" I could hear her cry. "Sally!"  
  
I knew Lily well. She probably thought Jack had come to take me away, carry me off back to Tortuga or something like that. And now, Lily wanted to come.  
  
I waved frantically at her, trying to make her run back. I didn't want her to get involved in any of this.  
  
"Sally!" she cried again and waved back at me, clearly not getting my message. She probably thought I was waving her goodbye, something she wouldn't accept.  
  
I kept waving at her, trying to make her realize she had to go back. But too late, the Tinys spotted her. Helplessly I had to stand on the Pearl and watch as they approached her and started talking. Lily had probably learned something about the Tinys from Peg, but not enough for her to know they would be dangerous. If they were as eager to get their hands on George Goldee as Jack believed, they wouldn't let Lily get away if they thought she knew something of George, or of where Jack could be taking me.  
  
So I had to stand and watch as they took my dear friend Lily with them, her not even struggling, thinking they were quite nice and charming men, into a rowboat and off towards their ship.  
  
"Oh, damn," I sighed as I watched it. All around me, Jack's crew were preparing the ship to leave, and we were soon on our way out from Warren island. When we were clear of all the rocks and well out, Jack left someone else in command and approached me.  
  
"I thought I saw somethin'," he said. "Or someone, is more the right word, bein' taken to the Tinys' ship."  
  
I nodded. "You did. It was my friend, Lily."  
  
"Oh, another fellow whore." He smiled a bit.  
  
"Friend," I corrected with anger. "Thanks to you, she's now been dragged into this. and I don't even know what 'this' really is! I know it's about George Goldee, and all the stuff he's wanted for, but that's all. Why are they so eager to get to him?"  
  
"Well," Jack said. "To be honest with ya, love, I don't quite know. I don't have any first hand information on this Goldee fella, 'cept for that he's got somethin' that they be wantin'."  
  
"I don't know where he is," I blurted out. "I haven't seen him since he came to The Villain. He didn't leave me any clues as to where he was going, I have no information useful to the Tinys, and neither does Lily."  
  
"Yeah, but they don't know that," he said. "Besides, you know more than they do, seeing as how up until recently they thought ol' Goldee was dead. You've clearly known his being alive for a long time, and that's what they're interested in hearin' about." He looked at me. "Why'd he come to see ya in The Villain?"  
  
"That's none of your business," I replied.  
  
He was just about to argue, but I wasn't finished: "I know you say you saved my life just now, Jack, and that I owe you as much as to tell you what I know, but that's not a fact. I have nothing interestin' to tell neither you nor the Tinys about George. And if you hadn't come to save me, and they had gotten their hands on me, they still would have learned nothin'. So you've never had any reason to fear, or any reason to demand me answerin' yer questions."  
  
Jack sighed heavily. "You haven't changed, lass. I'm just askin' for a little bit of cooperation."  
  
"Well, you won't get any."  
  
"If you could just tell me what Goldee's got that they'd be wantin', I would be more than satisfied."  
  
"But I don't know what that is!" I beamed. "Like I said, I've got no knowledge of interest regarding George Goldee! Not to you, and not to them, and not to the British navy. Not to anyone!"  
  
Jack raised an eyebrow. "The British navy?"  
  
I hesitated. Had I just said more than I should have? Didn't Jack know that the navy had been looking for George when he was supposingly alive?  
  
"He's more famous than I thought," Jack grinned. "What was his trade, love? 'E must 'ave been someone important, or someone influential. Or someone dangerous, I bet. Which was he?"  
  
"He was a Captain," I said. "For the British navy, and a good one, too. He was quite famous back then, and quite honorable. A part of the upper class, I even daresay. For a while, anyways."  
  
"Then what happened?"  
  
I shrugged. "A lot of things. I'm not quite sure of all. He spent a lot of time in England as well as in the Caribbean. At some point, three years ago, like you said, he was declared dead at sea. There was a lot of fuss about it."  
  
"But he wasn't dead," Jack said.  
  
"No... But everybody thought he was. I thought he was, my family thought he was. The British Empire, everybody. That's what caused the fuss..."  
  
"What? That 'e was dead?"  
  
I nodded. "Dead at sea, too. There was somethin' on his ship that shouldn't have been lost. And George had a lot of questions to answer for at the time he conveniently 'died'."  
  
"What happened to his crew, then?" Jack asked. "Those from his ship? Someone musta lived to tell the story."  
  
"One man lived," I answered. "He was the one who told my family about George's death, as well as the British navy and Empire. He claimed there'd been a terrible storm, and he'd only survived because he had been thrown overboard and into one of the rowboats. He'd cut the boat loose and been driven off away from the storm. But of course, he had to have been lyin' all that time. George was alive."  
  
"And so was his crew and the ship then, I figure," Jack said, then added with a grin: "And I'm certain that ship contained somethin' nice and shiny, seein' as how ol' Goldee wanted to keep it so much he faked his own death." A lust for treasure and gold lit a light in Jack's eyes, and it was like his adventure spirit, the one I'd seen so many times in the pub in Tortuga, was back once more.  
  
I looked angrily at him. Lily had been taken away by the Tinys, and I had been taken away by Jack. And all he could think of, was that George might have been saving some great treasure on that ship that Jack now could get his hands on, using me to lead him to it. I said fiercly: "But that's all I know, Captain Sparrow, so we're stuck with no information on George and his ship. We've got nothin' to do but to sail on forever hoping that the Tinys won't catch up with us. Of course, I won't be in any danger because I've got no information for them they don't already know, but you..."  
  
"...will be dead." Jack finished my sentence with a playful smile. "IF they catch up with us. But they won't," he concluded, and went off, clearly with things on his mind.  
  
***  
  
"I'm sorry if they hurt you," he smiled. A disgusting, repulsive smile that would be of no comfort to anyone. The smile of a rich and powerful man just doing whatever he can to reach his goal, killing and destroying whatever's in his way. But still smiling, believing he's close to achieve his goal.  
  
"That doesn't take away the pain, fancy pants," Lily replied.  
  
She sat in a chair, hands tied on her back. This couldn't possibly be normal procedure for the law, not even in a crazy corner of the world like the Caribbean. But this wasn't exactly the law, at least not the real one. This was the law doing it's duty in a fierce and violent way in order to get what it called justice.  
  
This was, obviously, the Tinys.  
  
"It will go away," he said reasurringly.  
  
"You and yer Tiny-friends think you can just do whatever you like, isn't that right?" Lily said angrily.  
  
The man stared at her, hate in his eyes. "I don't much care for that name," he said cooly.  
  
"What? 'Tiny'?" she repeated, and at this, he slapped her hard across the face.  
  
"I guess I was mistaken," she said, staring back at him again, the pain her cheek distracting her from thinking straight, but not from talking back at him. "I though ye were nice men, the way ya talked to me back on the dock an' all. I was mistaken, there's nothin' good in ye, and Sally was right in runnin' from ya. And Peg was right in lyin' to ya disgustin' Tiny-friends!"  
  
"Yes, we had a short delay thanks to this little Peg," he said in a calm voice. "They even took off again back to Tortuga, to deal with the traitors who had sent them off to Warren island. A barmaid, one of them was, who'd told them Sally Goldee had quit there and gone to Warren. We were about to punish her on behalf of our companions," he smiled, clearly enjoying telling Lily the story, "when a strange and old man approached us."  
  
This caught Lily's attention more than the other parts of the story had.  
  
"He was rather drunk, and as smelly as any. Plus," the Tiny added, "he was of course, a pirate. Creatures a decent man from the British Empire shouldn't be trusting if he knows what's good for him. But this man was originally from Warren island, like yourself," he added, and gave her a quick wink. "He wanted our attention, claiming no one ever noticed him anymore after he got old and lost his ship. We paid him more attention than anyone ever had in the last years, because he was more than willing to confirm the rumours of Sally Goldee being on Warren. He even insisted on taking us there to meet her, he said she was a lovely young lady." He leaned back in his chair. "We owe a lot to Peter Derry, he was quite helpful. Of course, we couldn't bring him with us when we went back to Warren, although we made him believe we would. He just wanted some attention... But we got the information we needed, then we had to shoot him as we were out at sea."  
  
Lily reacted to this. She hadn't cared much for Pete, and she cared even less for him now that she learned he had told on Golden Sally, but she was still shocked to hear the Tinys would shoot him after all the assistance he'd clearly given them.  
  
"He was a pirate," the Tiny said, as if to excuse the killing. "And he said he had been a good one in his days. He was old, he just wanted to be remembered. We will remember him."  
  
Lily was filled with confusion. She couldn't understand what these men could possibly want with Sally. They'd been all over looking for her. And now, they had caught Lily, and one of them was wasting a lot of time sitting there, telling her the story of how they'd found The Villain.  
  
"We had, as you already know, these three other men looking for Sally Goldee in The Cursed Villain a couple of weeks ago," he said. "But they had no luck. We met with them in Tortuga. They went back to Port Royal, but we went back to Warren to try and find Sally Goldee. Which we did," he added with a smile.  
  
"Yeah, ye found her," Lily said angrily, "but ye didn't get yer hands on her! She got away, thanks to that mysterious Captain Sparrow!"  
  
The Tinys stared at her, it looked as if he wanted to kill her right there and then. The hate was intense. But he calmed down, and continued. "Captain Sparrow's apperance was... unfortunate. But it could as well be a blessing, once we catch up with his ship and arrest both him and miss Sally Goldee." He stared staight into Lily's eyes. "I am a duke, girl, and we, our group of honorable dukes, earls, lords and wealthy, decent men, are the law. We'll get them both, and what's rightfully ours."  
  
"What's that, then? Rightfully yers?" she asked. "I don't even know why you're after Sally, or that Mister Sparrow. You're always runnin' about ruinin' other peoples lives, aren't ya! I can't believe I let ya take me away here, I shoulda listened to Sally..."  
  
The duke reacted. "What? Did Sally Goldee say something to you? About what? Us?"  
  
Lily shook her head. "No, she tried to make me leave the dock, that's all. But I didn't realize tha' until it was too late. But now I'll do what's honorable fer Golden Sally, and I won't say a word to ya about her, or anythin' else you'll be wantin' to know."  
  
The duke's eyes went narrow. "Oh, I think you will. You think you have done nothing wrong, and that we therefore can't punish you for anything. You think you have some certain amount of rights, don't you? But we are the extreme parts of our rightful law, and we serve our Lord and our Empire in order to make justice." He smiled the evil, distusting smile once again, which gave Lily shivers down her back. Then he said: "And you, little whore, have no rights here."  
  
  
  
***  
  
Well, that's it for now... Please review, I'd love to hear some comments!! 


	5. Nobody's Prisoner

Chapter five! Yay! Please review, everyone, I really appreciate it!  
  
***  
  
  
  
NOBODY'S PRISONER  
  
  
  
I kept mostly to myself for the first two days. Jack would come after me whenever he could, constantly asking me about more information regarding George Goldee, but I wouldn't give him anything.  
  
What could I tell? I knew a lot about George, more than most people, but I had no intention on telling them to a person like Captain Jack Sparrow. He was, after all, a pirate. And a cheating, drunken one at that. Although, as he constantly reminded me, I would probably be better off telling Jack what I knew than ending up having to tell the Tinys.  
  
I had been given a cabin on the ship, but I spent as much time as I could out on deck. I don't enjoy being on the inside of the ship, it makes me uncomfortable.  
  
At the night of the third day on the Pearl, I caught Jack up on deck staring at the sky as the rest of the crew had gone to sleep.  
  
I walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder.  
  
"Hello, lass," he said with a smile. I didn't return it.  
  
"Where are you goin', Jack?" I asked. "I mean, you're just sailin' around in circles, aren't you? Where can you go? You know nothing of where George Goldee hid his treasures, and I sure as hell won't tell ya. Where are we going?"  
  
"Ya've got a strange way of talkin', Sal, I've always noticed that," he replied, not answering my question. "It's like at first, you talk like a fine bred lady, and suddenly you talk like you should, like any girl in a pub like The Villain should. So what's with that?"  
  
"That is none of your business," I said. "Why do you care about that? I thought you were lookin' fer George's treasure."  
  
"Aye, I am," he smiled. "But I won't get it until you tell me where ta look."  
  
"Too bad, then," I said.  
  
He opened his arms at me, as if to welcome me to a hug, or something of the kind. "Oh, come on, luv!" he grinned. "What's with keepin' the secrets all the time? You're better off tellin' me about Goldee's treasure than tellin' the Tinys, ya know that yerself."  
  
"There's more to George than just treasure," I said. "That was one of his many secrets. And you're all wrong about the ship too, just thought I'd mention it," I added.  
  
He looked at me curiously. "I'm wrong about the ship? You mean it wasn't full of treasure then? I thought you said you didn't know anything about that..."  
  
"I lied."  
  
"Ah."  
  
He seemed to be getting tired of me, seeing as how he never got any real information. Still, he continued to ask about it. "Do ya at all know why the Tinys are so eager to find Goldee?" he asked. "Or are ya just guessin'? I mean, sure, he's a relative of yours, but there's still the possibility that you know nothin' of him. Am I right?"  
  
"That's an awful lot of questions, Jack," I said. "NO, I'm not just guessing, NO, I don't know nothin' of him. I know a lot of him. NO, you're not right!"  
  
He sighed. "So ya know why they'd be lookin' fer him then? And fer you?"  
  
At that, I decided it was time for me to go to bed. I turned around and walked across the deck, not replying to Jack.  
  
"Just one more thing, luv," I heard him say. I stopped to listen.  
  
"We're stoppin' by an island to get some supplies tomorrow," he said. "Now, it's a bit risky, 'cause it's a wealthy place with some Tinys in the streets, so I want ya to keep below deck while we're there, savvy?"  
  
I didn't reply to that either, but went down stairs to my cabin. No pirate Captain was going to tell me what to do - and especially not Captain Jack Sparrow.  
  
* * *  
  
I awoke the next morning to find it was late, the sun was up and the ship had already docked on the island Jack had mentioned the night before. As I listened, I came to figure that the crew had already left the ship, and that I was probably alone on board.  
  
I got up, yawning. Because I was on a pirate ship, I had decided not to take my dress of as I slept. Who could know what sort of creature would attempt to enter my bed in the middle of the night amongst people like these, I'd thought.  
  
I put my ragged, black boots on and walked across the cabin, pulling the doorhandle.  
  
It didn't move.  
  
Jack, that stupid, drunken idiot of a pirate, had locked me up in my cabin. Apparently, he didn't believe I'd manage to stay on the ship whilst he and his crew walked about on the island.  
  
"Curse you, Sparrow!" I cried and banged my hand angrily at the door. I wasn't some prisoner just sitting around awaiting orders. I'd come voluntarily along with Jack, just to get away from the Tinys. That didn't mean that Jack was the boss of me, that he could lock me up like a common felon...  
  
I wouldn't have it.  
  
I looked around in the room, searching for some tools of some sort. One obvious thing I spotted, was the little plate of food that had been placed next to the door. Great, so they were locking me up but making sure I didn't starve. How generous.  
  
Apart from the bed, there was nothing in the cabin. It was dull and simple, which was another one of the reasons I'd preferred staying on deck. Now I realized there was yet another disadvantage to this room's poor interior: There was nothing there to break the door down with.  
  
"Bloody hell," I mumbled, leaning against the wall. I was stuck. Or, so I thought.  
  
Just as I decided to give up and just stay there, waiting for Jack and his crew to come back, I heard a noise in the hallway outside my room.  
  
"Hello?" I said. It would look as though I was talking to the door, but I was actually trying to make contact with whoever was on the outside. "Hello there!"  
  
"Sally?" a voice replied, one I instantly recognized as Anamaria's. It's not difficult to tell a female voice from a male's one, not even on a pirate ship where the woman is every bit as strong and manly as the men.  
  
"Yes, it's me!" I cried back. "What the hell is the meanin' of this! Open this bloody door right NOW!"  
  
"I think you'll be fine in there for now!" Anamaria cried back, and I couldn't help but hearing the pleasure in her voice. She was enjoying this! "We'll leave in just a few hours. I'm off back into town, have a nice afternoon!"  
  
"No, wait!" I cried as I heard her walk down the hallway. The sound stopped.  
  
"What?" she said.  
  
"Uhm..." I hesitated. What could I say? I wanted to get out, but what could I say? "It's the food!" I quickly cried. "There's something wrong with this food! I think it's... I think it's a rat," I said with a grin. No one would ever hesitate to check if you insist your food looks like a dead rat. "I can't eat this," I continued. "At least bring me something else, or I'll starve for sure!"  
  
I heard nothing, and assumed Anamaria was hesitating. What to do? Disobey Jack's orders or let the poor Sally Goldee starve?  
  
Luckily, Anamaria chose the first option. I could hear a sound as the lock opened, and the door went up as Anamaria came in. "What's all this about the food?" she asked, but I didn't answer.  
  
In stead, I banged her hard over the head with the plate of food. She went down to the floor, unconscious. "Sorry," I muttered to her and dropped the plate. "But I don't wanna be in here no more."  
  
I want off through the hallway and up on deck, where I got a full view of the town we were in.  
  
It was a beautiful one. The streets were filled with life, and there were people all around. I could easily get lost in this crowd. Maybe I'd find a pub, get a job, and forget all this business with George Goldee. If I was lucky, Jack would stop looking for me at some point, as would the Tinys.  
  
I didn't want to go on any adventure, and I most certainly did not want the stories about George to get out into the open. The stupid old man was entitled to be left in peace now. He was, after all, supposingly dead. Why bother a dead man?  
  
I quickly took off into town, before Anamaria had a chance to wake up, or I had a chance to regret it.  
  
I realized the only reason I'd come with Jack was to get away from the Tinys. And now I had! Sure, he'd said this island had a few Tinys spread about, but if I kept to myself, worked in a dark pub and maybe cut my hair, they wouldn't find me. They'd eventually stop looking, and the stories about George would disappear as well.  
  
Yeah. That was a good plan.  
  
So for the moment, all I had to do was to get lost in the crowd on this island, and make sure neither Jack, his crew nor the Tinys spotted me. Then I'd be all right.  
  
***  
  
"This is your last bloody chance, you stupid girl."  
  
The duke was quivering with anger. He'd gotten nothing from Lily. Nothing of interest, anyways. She'd told him about everything she knew - litterally. All she knew about Tortuga, life, her friends, family, the world, litterature and famous pirates as well as British sailors and the Empire. She'd told him EVERYTHING.  
  
And he'd gotten nothing of interest.  
  
Well, he had learned something, but it was all just confirmed things he had already suspected. The duke Watson had learned that Sally Goldee and Sparrow knew each other from the time Sally'd worked in a pub in Tortuga. If this Lily girl was right, then Sparrow and Sally had some special feelings for each other, but nothing was confirmed. Jack Sparrow, a romantic? The duke found it difficult to believe. Besides, he wanted his hands on both Sparrow and Sally Goldee either way.  
  
Lily had told him all she knew about the Tinys who'd visited Warren a few weeks earlier, but this he already knew. She'd never heard of George Goldee, and claimed to not having seen him that night he'd presumably visited The Cursed Villain.  
  
There was nothing of interest in this whore, the duke Watson had realized. Either that, or she was hiding it well.  
  
"Chance fer what, bastard?" she replied. She'd been tortured, kicked and most likely raped as well, but she still had her pride and her strength in full capacity. It was impressive.  
  
"Chance to tell me what you know about George Goldee," the duke said. "Or where Sparrow is taking Sally. You tell me that, and I will be nice to you. I can be nice, you know... It's not all violence."  
  
"I find tha' difficult to believe," Lily replied. "But I don't know what ya're askin' fer! I don't know nothin' about that stuff!"  
  
"You say Sally Goldee and Sparrow have known each other for some time? Known each other quite well, am I right?"  
  
"Yeah... So?"  
  
"So..." the duke said, anxiously rubbing his hands together. "So you must know where he is taking her. This is probably some planned scheme of theirs. She must have told SOMEONE!" he practically screamed. "How will we else be able to find her?!"  
  
"I don't know," Lily said. "And I don't care. In fact, I hope ye never find 'er!"  
  
The duke slapped her across the face, just to express his anger. As he caught eye contact with Lily, he said in a low voice: "Listen, you whore. This is very important. Do you understand? You are a wrench, but you are still a member of our society. And you have your duty to fulfill, just like the rest of us. We need to know where George Goldee is, if he is alive. If he is not, we need to find his relatives. He held vital information and knowledge as well as treasure, it's very important that we restore these things. Do you understand? Sally Goldee is the only clue we have got. Now tell me where they went!" he cried, his face filled with rage.  
  
Lily was terrified, but she hid it well. What was this lunatic? A 'Tiny', as they'd been called, but no doubt a dangerous man. He called himself 'the law', as well as he was a duke. And apparently there was a numerous other well respected citizens like himself being parts of 'the law', and this was the sort of thing they did. Lily was shocked.  
  
"I don't know," she finally answered. "I told ya yesterday, and the day before, and now I'm tellin' ya again: I don't bloody know! She never told me nothin' about George Goldee, I don't know who he was! And there was no talk of any escape plan with that Captain Sparrow. I don't know nothin'!"  
  
The duke leaned back in his chair. "All right, girl," he sighed. "All right. Have it your way."  
  
Before he could say anything else, another Tiny entered the room, whispering something to the duke.  
  
He nodded. "Good," he said to the other Tiny. "We will be at the port soon. I think we could all use some fresh air and a chance to feel land beneath our feet again, wouldn't you say?" he added with a fierce glance at Lily. Then he turned to the other Tiny and said with anger: "She's just useless, Hermann. She claims she knows nothing. I've been down here for three bloody days, and no result has come out of it. I'm getting sick and tired of listening to her."  
  
"I bet she knows something," the Tiny called Hermann replied. "She's just too proud to tell us, or too faithful to that Sally Goldee, or maybe even to Sparrow? Who knows. I think she's got some information, but she's too proud to tell it."  
  
"Ever?" the duke asked.  
  
"Ever," Hermann confirmed. "She'll never tell it, sir, believe me. These whores, they stick together through hell and high water. She'll never reveal anything."  
  
"In that case..." the duke sighed, as he pulled a pistol out of his belt.  
  
Lily froze. "What are ya doin'?" she asked.  
  
"You won't tell us anything," the duke said.  
  
"But I don't know nothin'!" Lily insisted.  
  
"Like I said, they're proud. And they always help each other, these disgusting creatures," Hermann said, and the duke nodded, raising the gun towards Lily's head.  
  
"Sorry, love," he said. Then, suddenly: "No, actually, I'm not."  
  
Then he pulled the trigger, and Lily's body fell motionless to the floor.  
  
  
  
***  
  
...and there we are. Reviews please, I'd love some comments! 


	6. Big Troubles on a Small Island

Here we are, sixth chapter! Yay! By the way, you may notice although I'm using Sally as our story-teller, we still get some scenes where she's not present... That's because I think it's better to read a story where you can join in on the action, rather than having it explained by one of the characters... Well, read on, and please review!  
  
***  
  
  
  
BIG TROUBLES ON A SMALL ISLAND  
  
  
  
Hermann Hearst was keeping his master, the duke Watson, company up on deck as their ship, the Faithful, sailed into the bay. The duke was in a terrible mood.  
  
"Nothing," he muttered, staring at the port they were approaching. "Nothing. Three bloody days, and still we got nothing but a dead body."  
  
"Most of these creatures care more about each other than the law, sir," Hermann said humbly. "It's such a misfortune that this Lily was no exception. Who was she, anyways?"  
  
"I don't know," the duke replied. "Nor do I want to know. She was just another sacrifice along our journey, my dear Hermann. And there has been plenty more like her in the past, and will be in the future. Don't you worry about that girl, you should rather be worrying about finding some information regarding Sparrow and Sally Goldee."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"When we dock, I want you to go into town and speak with the natives on this island. There are a lot of the Law here. A lot of my breed," he added with a smile. "But you, as my footman, can go about unnoticed. Hopefully they won't take you for a member of the Law, and they will tell you what they know. Make some enquires, see what you can find out."  
  
"Yes, sir," Hermann nodded, trying hard to hide the pride he felt. The duke was asking him to do an important piece of work this time, not just to clean up after the Law, like he usually did. Hermann was the spokesman, he who explained why things had turned out as they had to the people whenever the Law - or the Tinys, as they were frequently called - made a mistake.  
  
"We'll be in soon," the duke said. "Better prepare yourself, Hermann. Take off those nice clothes, find some of those belonging to the servants. You may not be wearing a Law outfit, but you look good enough for them to suspect something. Go about the people like one of their kind, Hermann," he grinned.  
  
"Yes, sir, I will, sir," Hermann said with enthusiasm, and went off.  
  
"Wait," the duke said, and made Hermann stop. "Remember to bring the girl," he finished.  
  
Hermann's face went pale. "The girl?"  
  
"Lily. Bring her into town, hide her somewhere."  
  
Hermann didn't say anything, just stood there, shocked. The duke wanted him to bring the dead girl? The corpse?  
  
"We can't have her lying around on the Faithful, Hermann, it's not very hygienic! Bring her and hide her well in a back alley or something. Go off now."  
  
With heavy steps, Hermann went down below deck and into the dreaded cabin which held the body of Lily Virginia McCarth. Seeing her pale, dead face made shivers go down his spine. Hermann was an honest and hardworking man, prepared to do a lot for the Law. His biggest dream above all was to become one of them. To be named a lord, perhaps. And for that, he had to work.  
  
But he had never mentally prepared himself for having to deal with this. It was a dead woman, lying on the floor in front of him. A whore, sure enough, but still a dead woman. Hermann Hearst hated seeing dead people, it freaked him out. This was no exception.  
  
Oh, if he only had chosen to stay behind in London, becoming an honest sailor. No, Hermann wanted to become someone important, someone they'd remember. He wanted to be one of the Law. But for that, he had to do a lot of hard work. For years now he'd been excusing the Laws mishaps, he was a good talker. But he was NOT good at dealing with dead bodies.  
  
Shaking and twisted with fear, sweat dripping from his forehead and hands, he slowly stepped over and picked the dead Lily up. Feeling her cold body made him completely terrified. It even felt cold through her dress.  
  
Hermann had to focus all his will power on not vomiting. Do the job, Hermann, do the job, he kept telling himself as he carried Lily out of the cabin. First, he'd thought of putting her in a bag, or wrapping some cloth around her to hide her from the public, but then he changed his mind. In a town like this, dead bodies was common. Although the Law roamed the streets, they had no interest in the everyday, local crimes. The Law only went for the bigger deals.  
  
So Hermann decided to carry Lily into town just as she was. If anybody happened to ask, he'd just tell them Lily was a traitor, or a pirate. Yeah, that'd work. Hermann wanted to get rid of her body as quickly as possible, and now that he was good on his way he figured there was no point in doing this properly. Why cover her up? He didn't have to do that. Why hide her? He didn't have to do that either. In this town, he thought, they just wouldn't care. Nobody here even knew Lily, why would they care?  
  
Continiously convincing himself, Hermann brought Lily quickly through several streets in town, and then into one of the discreet alleys. He found an area that seemed filthy and lawless, and put Lily's body casually down at the side of the brick road. Who would care, he thought, and took off again with a satisfied smile on his face.  
  
No one would ever know, right?  
  
Right?  
  
***  
  
I hurried through the streets, trying to make myself invisible in my movements, blending in like any other islander. I realized it was a bit unfortunate that I only had one set of clothes with me, the one dark green dress I was wearing and the boots. If a description of me was sent out to all the Tinys in the Caribbean, a description including me wearing this dress, I would be easy to spot.  
  
I probably had to get myself another dress, and quickly, too. I'd also decided to cut my hair. It would make me look a bit boyish, but rather that than being caught by the Tinys.  
  
It was getting late in the afternoon, and it would seem as though the islanders were leaving the streets. Probably they were heading home for supper, or something of the sort. I was more visuable now, and more vulnerable as either a crewmember from the Pearl or a Tiny could easily spot me.  
  
I decided I'd be better off in some of the back alleys of this town, instead of the big streets. As I took off to leave the town's center, I spotted a man who looked awfully familiar.  
  
Who was he? I stopped for a moment to see, and he seemed to be recognizing me as well, which proved my suspicion. I knew his face, but I couldn't recall from where. I thought he could have been one of the Tinys I'd seen, but it couldn't be, for the man was dressed like a shabby working class man. I finally decided he had to be a man who'd visited one of the pubs I'd worked in. Or maybe he even was one of Jack's crew, who knew.  
  
I got on my way, and within few minutes I'd gotten away from the center and into the more discreet, dark areas of the town. I had never been here before, and had no idea what sort of area I wandered into. But I've delt with a lot of communities, and I've been around. I know what I'm capable of, and what to look out for. I was going to be all right, I thought.  
  
But I was wrong. Because I hadn't prepared for something like that very thing which I encountered in one of the small alleys.  
  
There were few people about in this alley, but I could clearly see one. It was a woman, lying outside what looked like an abandoned house by the street. I feared she was a rape victim - I'd seen a lot of them in my days.  
  
I approached her body, hoping that she was still alive, and that I could help her in some fashion. As I got close enough, I could do nothing but shriek in terror.  
  
The woman there in the streets, abandoned and alone, was my dear Lily.  
  
It was Lily!  
  
I felt I stopped breathing, and my feet failed me, I fell to my knees beside her. Lily! It was Lily. My dear Lily, who'd been so caring and friendly to me when I'd first come to Warren island. She'd done so much for me, she was such a close friend, always so full of life...  
  
Yet now, she was lying stiff and pale in front of me. There was no question, she was definitely dead. And I was sure I knew who'd killed her: The Tinys. It had to be. They'd after all taken her aboard their ship. And killed her.  
  
Was it a warning?  
  
Had they put her there, out in the open, to warn me of what was to come if I didn't let them capture me?  
  
How could they have? Jack was so sure they hadn't followed us to this island, he insisted they didn't know where we were. Apparently, he was wrong. They knew I was here, and now they'd warned me.  
  
Wait. That didn't make sense.  
  
If they knew I was here, they would have found me by now. I'd seen a lot of Tinys in the streets, and they didn't seem to be searching for anyone in particular. This town was small enough for them to have found me if they'd really been looking. They couldn't know I was here. Maybe Lily was just dumped here accidentically. Maybe the Tinys who'd caught her had come to this island by a sheer coincidence.  
  
They didn't know I was here. I was safe, at least for now.  
  
There was other things to worry about. I felt the guilt sneaking up on me, I couldn't help it. Lily was dead. Looking at her emotionless, white face, I had to ask myself if I could have prevented it from happening.  
  
And I knew the answer: Yes. Yes, I could.  
  
Hadn't I told Lily about Jack, or the Tinys for that matter, she wouldn't have followed me the night Jack took me away from The Cursed Villain. She would have been safe back on Warren. Maybe she could have gone to Tortuga one day, like she'd dreamed of.  
  
But I'd made sure that would never happen. I'd caused Lily's death.  
  
But I wasn't stupid. I knew it wasn't all my fault. The roots of this tragedy was the Tinys searching the seas for me and George Goldee. And their ruthless way of doing it had caused Lily her life.  
  
Well, I wouldn't have it. I'd make sure they would have to pay for this deed. I would make them suffer. I would make them scream of pain. I'd make them beg for their merciful death...  
  
***  
  
Jack walked quickly through the streets of the town, trying his best to act natural. It was a quiet night, but there was no chance of knowing when a Tiny or an islander would turn up and glance suspiciously at him.  
  
He knew he was taking a big risk, going back. It had been easy blending into the big crowds by day, but now the night was close, and a Tiny could easily see him for what he was: The pirate Captain Jack Sparrow.  
  
And he wouldn't have gone back out into town, hadn't it been for that little discovery back on the Pearl: Sally Goldee had taken a run for it. She'd beaten Anamaria over the head and gone off.  
  
Stupid girl, Jack thought as he walked through the streets. She just didn't realize how big this was. Jack knew the Tinys better than she did. If they got their hands on her, she'd experience nothing less than a living nightmare.  
  
Jack already suspected what had happened to Sally's friend, the one who'd been taken aboard the Tinys's ship. She'd probably been raped and beaten beyond sanity, and she was lucky if she was even still alive.  
  
As Jack entered a new street, he suddenly spotted a man a few meters away. He was about to run off, but the man's pistol was already in focus, and Jack realized he did best in staying where he was.  
  
As the man was approaching, Jack recognized him as the little servant of the Tinys: The young Hermann Hearst, the son of a wealthy Britishman who'd faced some financial difficulties some seven years ago, and who'd convinced his son to make the family name an honorable one again. Hermann, stupid as he was, had decided to work his way through butt-licking the Tinys in order to become one himself.  
  
Now he was facing Jack, holding a pistol, and wearing a very unusual outfit for a man of his sort... "Stay where you are, Sparrow," he said with a silent voice.  
  
"Ah, Hermann Hearst," Jack said with a grin. "I remember you. Ya're the little spokesman, aren't ya? Whenever the Tinys get blood on their hands, you're there to clean it up? Pleasure to see you again, mate."  
  
"I am not your 'mate'," Hermann said. "And don't ever use the term 'Tiny' again. It's against the law."  
  
"What should I call them, then?" Jack asked.  
  
"They are the Law, Sparrow," Hermann said cooly. "Now raise your hands, and kindly come with me. We are off to the Faithful. If I don't get a title for this...!" he added with pride. This had to be his lucky day. He'd gotten his hands on Captain Sparrow!  
  
"Now now, lets not get unfriendly," Jack said, smiling. "We both know you're not the killin' kind, Hermann."  
  
"I'm so lucky," Hermann said with an evil grin. "By a sheer coincidence, we end up on the same island! Duke Watson will be very pleased indeed."  
  
"Watson's here?" Jack asked.  
  
"On the Faithful," Hermann replied. "Now move it. Raise those hands, Sparrow."  
  
"Listen, I love this game every bit as much as you do, Hearst," Jack said. "But I'm actually in a hurry here. I'm looking for an old friend."  
  
"Ah, the 'old friend'!" Hermann said, laughing. "I take it you are referring to Sally Goldee? I know she's here, Sparrow, so don't you try to hide it! I saw her!"  
  
"You did?" Jack said, getting more worried by the minute. What if they'd already caught Sally?  
  
"That's right!" Hermann said, the pride practically glowing off his ugly face. "I saw her just a few minutes earlier, she took off into one of the smaller alleys. I lost her, though, so now I was on my way back to the Faithful to inform that she was on this island. But when I bring back you as well...! I'll be a lord by the end of this month!"  
  
Jack easily spotted Hermann Hearst's one weakness at this point: His pride. His vanity. His desire for respect and wealth. All right, so that was a lot more than one weakness, but all the better.  
  
Luckily, the Tinys hadn't caught Sally yet. There was still hope. Now, if only Jack could find a way to take advantage of Hermann's vanity, so that he could get away before being brought to the Faithful, there was still the chance of finding Sally and getting her away with the Pearl before the Tinys would get to them both...  
  
  
  
***  
  
Right..Reviews, I'd love some! 


	7. On the Run

Seventh chapter, everybody! Yay! Thanks so much to all the faithful reviewers, I love some comments on my work!  
  
Also, there's been some questions regarding Jack and Sal, and don't worry, it's coming! There is in fact a bit of stuff between them in this chapter, and there's plenty more to come!   
  
***  
  
  
  
ON THE RUN  
  
  
  
Jack had no choice but to do as Hermann Hearst said... for now. He would soon enough get away from this cocky, stupid kid. All he had to do, was a bit of acting.  
  
"Ya know, Hermann, I'm really quite impressed," he said as they walked through the streets of the town, heading towards the bay.  
  
"Is that so?" Hermann said cooly, still pointing his pistol safety towards Jack's back.  
  
"Oh yeah, mate," Jack insisted. "I mean, I used to think you were just the average, butt-licking servant, the Tinys have got a lot of those."  
  
"The Law!" Hermann insisted.  
  
"Right, right, the Law," Jack said, rolling his eyes. "But... I really mean that, Hermann. Like, ya're different from all of those. Ya're, what to say... Yeah, different," he concluded.  
  
Hermann couldn't help but grinning. "Well, you may be a pirate, but you're not too stupid, Sparrow. That's quite well observed, I am quite different."  
  
"In a good way," Jack added. "Definitely in a good way, man, ya're so unique. Very clever, very smart. Very brave... You'd have to agree with me on that, ey?"  
  
"Yes, I suppose I have to agree with you on that," Hermann said, his grin increasing by every word Jack spoke. "I am actually being quite modest, compared to how many talents I've really got."  
  
"Oh yeah," Jack agreed convincingly. "You've got so many talents, so many abilities... They're too many to count, mate, they're just incredible. Yeah," he added, carefully picking the right words, making sure he didn't acidentically ended up mocking the man in stead of flattering him to pieces. "Hey, I bet... Nah, forget it," he said.  
  
"No, what?" Hermann said as they turned around a corner, with the bay now only a few blocks away. "Say it, Sparrow."  
  
"Well... a man with your talents," Jack said hesitatingly, with a big smile on his face, "wouldn't have any trouble catchin' up with an escaped prisoner now, would he?"  
  
Hermann pushed the pistol into Jack's back. "What are you implying?" he said angrily. "Are you referring to the incident where I lost track of Sally Goldee?!"  
  
"Oh, no!" Jack said quickly. "No, not tha', mate. Not tha'. But lets say a prisoner of yers, for example me, was to escape, ya'd easily catch up with me, wouldn't ya? To make up for that mistake with Sally an' all? Catchin' up with a felon like Jack Sparrow must be a real great thing, ey? Ya'd be relly respected amongst the Tinys - pardon me, the Law - for that."  
  
Hermann didn't say anything for a few moments, clearly he was concidering it, as well as enjoying this flatter and the pride he felt. Finally, he spoke: "You're not wrong there, Sparrow, they really would adore me if I could catch you twice in one day."  
  
"Aye, mate," Jack agreed.  
  
"But you mustn't be too quick," Hermann continued, now completely blinded by his own pride and lust for respect and honour. "I must know I can catch you again."  
  
"Of course, mate, I'd run really slow," Jack said. "No worries."  
  
Hesitation. Then, Hermann finally stopped walking, and lowered his pistol. Jack turned to face him. "Wise decision, Hermann," he smiled. "But now you must put that pistol away. I don't wanna be runnin' off knowin' you could shoot me in the back, savvy?"  
  
Hermann nodded, and put the pistol away. He was a gentleman, after all, and wouldn't shoot a man in the back - just pursue him, capture him and then bring him to the gallows.  
  
Jack smiled as the pistol was safely stored in Hermann's belt. "Nice talkin' with ya, but I really must run," he said, and then he took off.  
  
"Hey!" Hermann cried in shock, he hadn't been prepared for Jack to take off as quickly as he did, and certainly not as fast. After all, Hermann was planning on capturing him again, that was the whole idea of letting him go in the first place. Being the man who'd caught Jack Sparrow twice in a day would make him famous all over the Caribbean - that is, if he indeed could catch Sparrow for the second time.  
  
That was what Jack was planning to avoid. His plan had worked, Hermann's pride and lust for respect amongst the Tinys had made him stupid and rectless, and it had been Jack's big break. Now he ran through the streets, alleys and backways hoping Hermann would loose him as well.  
  
He quickly did.  
  
Hermann wasn't a good runner, nor was he very fit. After a few blocks, he had no idea where Jack Sparrow was to be found. And about at this time, he realized what a complete idiot he'd been.  
  
Jack had realized this as well, and had taken advantage of it with success. Now he was off through the streets of the town aimlessly, just searching whever he was for Sally. There was no more order, no more quiet search. Hermann would reach the Faithful in no time, and the Tinys would learn about both Jack and Sally presence on this island. It was going to be a hell of a night.  
  
Luckily, Jack wasn't a complete idiot. He had half expected this, seeing as how the island held more than a few Tinys. He'd told Gibbs, the first mate, that if there was any trouble with the Tinys - anything at all - they were to sail off and leave Jack and Sally behind, if anything it was only to save the Pearl...  
  
If this was to happen, Gibbs and the crew would be returning in a few days, when things had calmed down a bit. That was roughly Jack's plan. Perhaps not a brilliant one, but now that he thought about it, a lucky one. He'd had no idea the Faithful was there as well, this he'd learned when he met Hermann Hearst. Hopefully, his crew would take the Black Pearl out at sea and away from the Tinys.  
  
It was getting fairly dark by now, and the town held few or no people out on the streets. Jack ran quickly, keeping an eye out for Sally whever he went, but she was no where to be seen.  
  
He reached a small, dark alley which seemed almost like a ghost street. Its houses were dark and abandoned, and the moonlight gave the whole scene a terrifying effect. Not a very pleasant place to be at this time of night, Jack thought.  
  
Not very pleasant at all, he added as he saw what he believed to be a dead body lying by one of the houses. Keeping his mind open to all possibilities, he approached the body to have it confirmed that this wasn't Sally. And indeed, it wasn't.  
  
It was her friend Lily. "Bloody hell," Jack mumbled as he saw her, the image of this abandoned, young girl in a street like this, he face pale and without any signs of life, made his disgusted. Sure, it was a cruel world, but he couldn't help but feeling a bit sorry for the girl, and for Sally. If she saw this...  
  
"It was that blasted duke," a voice from behind Jack said. He quickly turned, only to face a darker and more distrubed looking Sally Goldee. "I know it was. It had to be."  
  
* * *  
  
I was dealing with Lily's death. I'd found myself accepting it, preparing the nasty revenge upon the Tinys. I swore, they wouldn't get away with that. The man who'd killed her would have to pay. That was my goal now. Find the man who killed Lily.  
  
Dramatic, I guess you could say, but I owed my life and my happiness to Lily. And it had partly been my fault that she'd been killed. So although I'd prefer just living a normal life, there was one thing that had to be done: Avenge Lily.  
  
And I realized, I did need a bit of help to reach the duke, the man I assumed had killed her. It had to be him, it had been him that caught her. But to reach the duke, I needed some help, and definitely a weapon. Both, I realized, I could get from Jack Sparrow. So when saw he'd discovered Lily's body, I approached him from the alley in which I'd been hiding.  
  
"It was that blasted duke," I said, and he turned to face me. "I know it was. It had to be."  
  
"Aye, I believe ya're right," Jack said. Then he exclaimed: "Now what the bloody hell were ya doin' runnin' off like tha'?!"   
  
"You don't own me, Jack, I'm free to do what I want," I replied. "I don't wanna go off no where with you and your stupid Black Pearl, I want to work, just live a normal life, and be happy! This island could have suited me fine, hadn't you come after me! Now they'll know we're here for sure!"  
  
I had to tell him. I had to express my anger, and this was the way - although I knew I did at some point need Jack's help, if I was to avenge Lily.  
  
"Actually, they already know we're here," Jack said.  
  
"Ah, I see," I said, with an angry voice. "I guess you decided to stop by the Faithful and say hello?"  
  
"No, love," Jack replied. "Hermann Hearst saw ya. So it's not my fault this time. Now lets go! Ya can't stay here, they'll get their 'ands on ya for sure. Please just come back with me to the Pearl and make no more fuss, ey?" he practically begged, clearly growing tired of my stupid games. "That is, if ya've realized just how serious this is by now," he added, taking a glance at Lily.  
  
"I have, thank you," I said angrily. "Sure, lets get back to that damn Pearl of yours."  
  
"Thank you," Jack sighed, and grabbed my arm as if to drag me back. Perhaps he feared I'd run off again.  
  
I broke loose from his grip, and followed him close as we went through the streets of the town and back towards the bay. It was only when we saw the docks, and realized there was only one ship still present, that we knew we were in real trouble.  
  
"Where... Where's the Black Pearl?" I asked frantically. "That over there's the Faithful, Jack! It's not the Black Pearl!"  
  
"Yeah, I've noticed that," Jack said annoyed. "Ya know this is yer fault?" he said, staring at me. "Gibbs has taken the Pearl off now, maybe there was some trouble with the Faithful, I don't know. Either way, we're stuck here on this lousy island until they return when the Faithful's gone. Ya happy now?" he added, his anger seeming almost frantically and ridiculous, yet in a serious way.  
  
"Don't blame me for this," I said. "I would have wanted to stay here, if it wasn't for Lily. Ya can't blame me for nothin', Jack, it was you who took me from The Villain!"  
  
"I saved yer life back then!" he yelled. "Ya stupid girl, ya would have faced somethin' a lot worse than what Lily had comin' to her!"  
  
"I can look after myself, I don't need you as my guardian," I said. "I didn't ask for you to come to Warren and hunt me down and carry me away. I would have managed somehow, and Lily would still be alive! Damn you, Sparrow," I sighed. "Because of you, my friend is dead and I'm stuck here on this stupid island with the Law chasing me. Thank you, that's just what I wanted."  
  
"Ah, good, ya're welcome," he said ironicly, clearly as angry and frustrated as I was.  
  
I guess I really wanted to go back on the Pearl, because I knew I would eventually be found on this island with all the Tinys looking for me, them now being fully aware of my presence. If they knew now that the Pearl had left without Jack and me, they'd know we were trapped on this island. It could turn out with a very nasty ending if we didn't think of something, and quickly.  
  
I sighed, fianlly realizing there was no using in just blaming Jack for everything. "Well," I said. "I guess we better leave, we shouldn't be here now, we should be hiding. It will soon be night, a perfect time for us to find a good hiding place. I expect the Tinys will be looking all over town for us by morning."  
  
"Now tha's the first sensible thing ya've said all day," Jack said, and we took of back into town.  
  
After a short walk, we eventually realized the best place for us to hide was in some of the old, abandoned buildings nearby where Lily's body lay. After all, we didn't know this town very well, and knew little or nothing of where the Tinys would be searching for us, and where they wouldn't. The best thing was just to hide in an empty house, at least for now.  
  
One of the empty houses was what seemed to have once been a barn, or a stable of some sort. Now, it was dark and dirty, and half the roof had been destroyed by God knows what. That's where we decided to stay for the night. It was, after all, the scariest building in the alley, and its apperance was enough to make any man turn around and leave at only the sight of it. Hopefully, this applied for the Tinys as well.  
  
We found what looked something like a horse's booth, filled with dry hay and not too much dirt. I sat down in the hay with my back leaning against the wall, sighing heavily. "Well, there we are then," I said. "This is going to be a boring period of my life."  
  
"Now, why would ya say that?" Jack said, taking a seat next to me in the hay. "After all, lass, ya're experiencin' more adventure now than ever before. I thought all whores longed for adventure?"  
  
"For the last bloody time, I'm no whore," I said. "You of all people should know that."  
  
"Yeah, ya're right, I do know that," Jack said with a grin. "I just have trouble acceptin' it, tha's all."  
  
"I couldn't argue with you on that," I said with a smile. The darkness that filled the barn was slightly easier to deal with, as the full moon was up and barely visuable through the many holes in the roof. I could see fractions of the booth we were in, and shine was lighting up Jack's face clearly where he sat against the wall next to me.  
  
"Didn't ya ever concider becomin' one of them?" Jack asked. "I mean, ya've always worked in pubs who provide ah, female company, why wouldn't ya wanna try it fer yerself?"  
  
I laughed. "I can sell a lot of things, but not my body."  
  
"Why not, I wonder?"  
  
"Because it's mine," I said, smiling.  
  
"Ah, yes," Jack laughed. "Ya'll be wantin' it all to yerself! Don't ya realize how many poor, unfortunate men ya're lettin' down by not lettin' them experience what you can experience? With yer body, I mean?"  
  
"I think a man's experience with my body is quite different from my own experience with my body," I grinned.  
  
"Aye, I guess so," Jack said. "But ya could end up enjoyin' his experience with yer body fer yerself, ya know. Maybe both you and the man would enjoy it."  
  
"Yes, and maybe not," I said, trying to cut things off, but Jack seemed to be enjoying the topic of the conversation.  
  
"Are ya sayin' it's always been only you then?" he asked. "No man, not ever?"  
  
"Stop it, Jack, it's no use asking me these questions," I said. "You'll get nothin' from it."  
  
Jack laughed. "Ya never know. I get information, I like that as well. Up to a certain point," he added with a twinkle in his eye. "So go on, answer me question."  
  
"I won't!" I said. "It's interferring with my personal life."  
  
"Aye, it is. Fun, ain't it?" Jack said with a laugh, and at that he slowly put his arm around my shoulder.  
  
And although I thought I would, I actually didn't mind. It felt nice, nicer than a touch from any man ever had before...  
  
  
  
***  
  
Please review, as always! 


	8. Captured

Another chapter... I'd love some reviews, as always...  
  
A small warning though, there's a bit of dramatic stuff happening in this chapter, so anybody with a weak heart should leave right now. ;)  
  
***  
  
  
  
CAPTURED  
  
  
  
I awoke early the next morning as I felt the sunlight sneaking in on us through the holes of the roof.  
  
I found myself sitting leaned against Jack's chest, with his arm still wrapped around my shoulder. Had I fallen asleep like this? Practically in Jack Sparrow's arms? I couldn't have... I didn't even like the man! Not particularly, anyways. There had always been some aspects of him that I'd found fascinating, but I never thought I'd care for those enough to go to sleep leaning on his chest.  
  
I yawned and looked up at Jack, only to realize he was already awake, looking in no particular direction. He seemed as though in deep thoughts.  
  
"Jack?" I finally said, looking up at him.  
  
He caught my eye, and then grinned. "So ya've finally decided to wake up now, have ya?"  
  
"I guess you could say it that way," I said. "How early is it?"  
  
"Early," he replied. "The sun is on it's way up. I was gonna go and take a look outside, ya know, look for the Tinys to see if they were about lookin' fer us, but I decided I had such a good time right here where I was, with you in me arms an' all," he smiled.  
  
At that, I quickly sat up and managed to get his arm casually off my shoulder. It suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Right, I get it," I finally said, a bit more harsh than intended. "So what do we do now, genious?"  
  
"Aw, now don't start that again, love," he said with a smile. "Ya were so nice to me last night."  
  
"Was I?" I said. "I don't recall."  
  
Jack laughed. "Ya've got a bad memory, Sal, I must say. I would have though last night would have been particularly difficult to forget."  
  
"Why? All we did was talk," I said.  
  
"Yeah, but what a subject," Jack smiled, and then stood up. "All right. If ya wanna pretend you weren't nice to me yesterday, that's fine. We should go lookin' fer the Pearl, maybe they've returned by now."  
  
"I doubt it," I said.  
  
"Yeah? Why's that?" Jack said, his voice slightly annoyed. I guess it was because I implied that I knew better than him what his crew would do.  
  
"Because it's only been a night since you escaped from that Hearst fella. The Tinys are probably still lookin' for us, and the Faithful is probably still at the docks."  
  
Jack sighed, then concluded: "I don't wanna stay here, I wanna get back to me Pearl."  
  
"You're such a baby!" I said angrily. "All you ever care about is that bloody ship. Right now, it would be plain stupid for us to go out about in town, because they're lookin' all over for us!"  
  
"So what should we do then, O brilliant Sally?" he asked angrily.  
  
"I say we stay here for another day," I said. "In hiding, until the Tinys have given up on finding us."  
  
"Another night?" Jack said. "Ain't gonna happen. This is a hell of a place, I can't stand it. It's shit, lass. So we're goin' back to the Pearl. We'll just get our hands on a rowboat and get out at sea, where we find my Black Pearl. Savvy?"  
  
"NO, Jack!" I said angrily. "Don't be so damn stupid! You'll get caught! No, WE'll get caught, because they'll obviously find me here if you go off. Or even worse, you'd probably force me to go with you in that rowboat, wouldn't you? So they'd capture the both of us!"  
  
"You will never get that far," a voice from behind me said. I quickly turned, and faced no less than five men wearing the clean, decent outfits so easy recognizable as the Tinys'. "Thank you for screaming so loudly, Sally," one of them, one I thought I'd clearly seen before, smiled, rising his pistol towards me. His fellow Tinys raised their guns as well, all pointing at either me or Jack.  
  
The talking Tiny turned at Jack. "We've met a lot recently, Sparrow," he said with an ice cool voice, clearly struggling to compress his rage towards the pirate.  
  
"Indeed, Hearst," Jack said. "Ya always seem to turn up when I need ya the least."  
  
***  
  
He slammed the door, and I felt more trapped than ever.  
  
In jail. On this crummy ditch of an island.  
  
I slammed a fist furiously at the bars, but it didn't do me any good. It only caused pain to my already weary hand.  
  
"Relax, love," Jack said in the cell next to me.  
  
We'd been put in separate cells, but we had bars between us so that we were able to see each other. I don't know why the Tinys had put us so close together. Maybe they actually wanted us to be furious with each other. It would work, for sure, if that was their plan, I thought.  
  
"Oh, shut up, you damn fool," I replied to Jack, and he got up from where he'd been sitting on the floor, and approached the bars blocking off his cell from mine.  
  
"Ya're not beaten yet," he smiled.  
  
I stared at him with hatred. "Not beaten? I'm in jail, damn you!" I screamed. "And, as always, it's Captain Jack Sparrow's fault. Wonderful how that haunts me!"  
  
"Actually, this time it wasn't my fault," Jack said with a simple smile.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, it wasn't me who yelled like crazy in that barn, Sally, it was you. It's because you screamed like crazy we're here now, they heard ya."  
  
"That's a lie," I said. "It was you who brought me here in the first place. It's always been your fault, Sparrow! Always!"  
  
"I've noticed how ya only refer to me as Sparrow when ya're angry with me," he said with a grin, not at all paying attention to my accusations.  
  
"You keep insisting on having saved my life back on Warren," I continued, "but that is also a lie! I would have managed somehow, I would have been happy still! And Lily wouldn't have been dead! Curse you, Sparrow!" I cried, and banged my fist against the bars again, this time the bars facing Jack.  
  
"Hey, easy!" he said and jumped a few steps back in response to my rage. "No need to take it out on the bars. Like I said, ya're not beaten yet."  
  
"No, but I soon will be," I replied, calming down a bit. "They'll break me for sure. I'm dead. And George Goldee is dead," I added. "Or he will be, soon."  
  
"So ya admit it then?" Jack said interested. "Goldee's still alive?"  
  
"Of course he is," I sighed. "I know he's alive, and I know where he is. I know everything! Just drop it, it's not important, you'll never hear of it anyways, the Tinys will make sure of that."  
  
"Ya know where he is?" Jack asked, clearly not paying attention to all the other stuff I'd said. "Where?"  
  
"I wouldn't tell you," I replied. "Why d'you think I pretend I don't know anythin' about George? It's because everybody - EVERYBODY - starts askin' me about him if I say I know somethin'. I get into serious trouble every time I even mention his name. Why would I wanna tell anybody anythin' more?"  
  
"Well... Because there's a handsome, old friend of a Captain who could really make use of that information?" he said with a smile.  
  
I stared fiercly back at him. "You're a dead man, Sparrow, just like George. Face it, you're a dead man. Have fun in the gallows, I for one am going to be questioned to pieces."  
  
Jack slid a hand through the bars, trying to stroke me gently over my cheek. I pulled away, leaving his hand in the air just reaching for me. "Come on, love," he finally said. "Ya know it's not my fault we're in here. I just thought I'd comfort ya a bit, ya don't seem to be lookin' forward to being questioned by the Tinys."  
  
"I'm not, well spotted," I said. "That Hearst fella said they'd be back any minute. What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to say? I can't tell them about George, I'd rather die before I told them."  
  
"Well, then don't tell them," Jack said simply. "If ya'd rather die, there's no problem. Just hang in there, whatever happens."  
  
"Easy for you to say, all you have to do is dangle."  
  
"Oh yeah, thanks."  
  
"Sorry." I smiled, and felt a slight sting of guilt for what I'd just said.  
  
"I've survived a hanging many times," Jack smiled. "I'll see my way out of this one as well, I should daresay."  
  
"Glad to hear it," I sighed, just as the sound of footsteps interrupted our conversation. Entering the door to the room we were in was Hearst, and two other Tinys, one of them being the duke I remembered from the room in The Cursed Villain.  
  
"Open hers," the duke said, and the third Tiny opened my cell and stepped in.  
  
"Remembered what I said," Jack whispered to me. "I'll be here waitin' fer ya," he smiled, and I actually felt a bit better. I was glad he cared, even if it was for nothing but hoping to get his way with me some day, or getting the information on George Goldee. It was better than nothing.  
  
The Tiny grabbed my arm and held it tight, it hurt right away.  
  
"Ow!" I commented.  
  
"Shut up," the duke said simply as the Tiny dragged me out of the cell. Then I was lead through another door, into a dark room I knew had to mean trouble...  
  
***  
  
Jack stood still in his cell, leaning his head against the bars, listening. He'd seen the Tinys take Sally away into another room, and he noticed they'd left the door open. He couldn't see anything though, clearly they had gone far enough into the room for him to see, but he could hear.  
  
At first, they spoke quietly, and Jack could hear nothing but mumbling.  
  
Then, after few minutes, shouting was heard, and it was clearly from the duke, furious at Sally for not being willing to cooperate.  
  
A hard sound was made, and Jack knew what it had to be: The sound of hands hitting Sally, and hard. They weren't going easy on her, and he knew it.  
  
He'd actually feared it for quite some time, what would happen if they got their hands on her. One thing was the fact that they might learn about George Goldee's treasure, he could live with that, there was always other treasures. But because they were so desperate in getting their hands on Goldee, they were willing to use drastic methods to get what they wanted.  
  
And Sally was the victim of those methods, Jack had realized. Hearing clear sounds of her being beaten in the very next room, would make even a man such as Jack feel a bit of guilt, although his intentions never had been for her to get caught - in fact, they'd been quite the opposite. But with the Tinys following their every move, of course they were bound to slip up and get caught at one point. Jack had just always hoped Sally would get away, not needing to face the horrible torture they would release on her, did she not cooperate.  
  
Jack froze as he heard Sally for the first time - she screamed. It was a quick scream, and Jack thought it might have been just one out of terror, although it did sound as though she was trying to cry "no"...  
  
Jack went away from the bars and sat down leaning against the stone wall in his cell, partly trying to block out the sounds he was hearing and partly sympathizing with Sally for what was happening to her now.  
  
Jack knew it only too well. They'd obviously threatened to rape her. Probably it was Hearst or that other Tiny who'd do it - the duke would never rape a whore, at least not in these circumstances...  
  
Clearly, Sally had refused to tell anything. And now, she was being raped, in that very room with its door open, only a few yards away from Jack's cell. And he had no choice but to sit there patiently and wait, for there was nothing he could do for her.  
  
This was turning into some serious business. Jack had never experienced something like this before. Almost every pirate he knew had raped a girl once, it wasn't that unusual. But Jack had never done it. He preferred it when the girl was enjoying it too, he didn't like to force her.  
  
And, he realized now, he certainly did not like listening to a rape. It was unbearable. Sally was screaming, that was the most obvious sound, the most horrible. There were other sounds too, but Jack couldn't make them out, they were all conquered by Sally's cries for help...  
  
Finally, it stopped. And within few minutes, the three Tinys, one of them still holding Sally with a strong grip, came out from the other room.  
  
"Damn you, Sparrow," the duke spat as they approached the cells and let Sally back in. "You must have taught her to act like this. Did you not? Did you not teach her to disobey the Law?"  
  
"No, I didn't, actually," Jack said, his attention directed mostly at Sally, her now sitting in a corner of the cell leaning up against the wall, showing no emotions whatsoever.  
  
"We'll be back later," the duke said, then turned to Sally and added: "I hope you have come to your senses by then, Goldee."  
  
At that, they left. And Jack stood there staring at Sally, searching for words.  
  
  
  
***  
  
Not too rough, was it...? Reviews, please! Sorry if the stuff happening to Sally is a bit brutal, but it's basically to make a point as to how important George Goldee is to the Law..... Reviews, please, like I said... ;) 


	9. A Revelation regarding Master George

Ninth chapter, everybody ready? ;)  
  
I'll have to say I'm sorry again for what happened to Sally in the last chapter, but it's making a point as to how desperate and crazy the Tinys are... But don't worry, Sally's a strong lass, so there's no stopping her with something like that...  
  
And also, thanks so much for the tips I got after the last chapter, I really appreciated them!  
  
***  
  
  
  
A REVELATION REGARDING MASTER GEORGE  
  
  
  
I stared at the bars. What else was there to stare at? The stone wall, the doors on the outside of the bars... There was nothing here for me. I hated it.  
  
Glancing to my left, I could see Jack in his cell. He was standing close to the bars which separated us, his fingers curved around the bars and his face close up against them. He looked as worried as I'd ever seen him.  
  
I had nothing to say to him. What could I say? Yes, Jack, I've been raped? No, I couldn't say that. Jack probably already knew it, so there was no point discussing it.  
  
However, Jack probably believed I was terrified. That I was in shock, and that I'd never be the same again after what Hermann Hearst had done to me in the other room.  
  
Yes, it had been Hearst... The same man I suspected had dumped Lily's body in the streets. Hearst had some bad fortune coming to him...  
  
But I didn't believe it was Hearst who'd killed Lily. He just wasn't the type to kill a woman. Even doing what he'd done to me had made him terrified, he'd only acted on orders of the duke. He had been even more afraid than me.  
  
"Um... Sally?" Jack's voice spoke. I turned and looked at him. He looked so humble, like he didn't know what to say. "Are... Are ya all right?"  
  
That was the first time I'd heard a slight sensation of care in his voice, it made me feel good. Jack cared, if only a little. I sighed, and got up. "Yeah," I finally said. "Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
Jack didn't say anything, just looked at me with concern. I don't know what he was worried about - my being okay, or my sanity still being intact. It was hard to tell.  
  
"I'm fine," I repeated, and walked a few steps about the cell. "I'm fine, but I'm furious," I whispered. Jack caught my eye. "I'm furious," I repeated, searching for more suitable words. "And Hearst... Hearst, he's not going to be fine. First Lily, then... this. No, Hearst is not okay," I mumbled.  
  
Jack slid a hand through the bars and reached out for me, as if to grab me to calm me down. "Relax, love," he said, leaning against the bars. "Whatever ya experienced in there, I need ya to remain sane, savvy?"  
  
I looked at him. "You need me? Oh, that's right," I sighed, approaching him, but avvoiding his outstretched hand. "You need me. 'Cause I know where George is. I know where George is, Jack! But I ain't gonna tell you." I came up close to the bars, and stared fiercly into his eyes, trying to compress my anger.  
  
"I'd actually prefer it if ya stayed sane even if I wouldn't get me hands on Goldee's treasure, Sal," he said honestly.  
  
"Curse that Hearst!" I suddenly cried, banging my fists against the bars, right in front of Jack's face. "CURSE HIM! And that rotten duke too!"  
  
Jack jumped back in shock, stumbling a few feet in his cell, trying to keep his balance. He held up his hands, as if to defend himself, when he came close up to me again. "Easy," he said nervously, "please take it easy, ey?"  
  
"I hate him, Jack," I said angrily. "Hate him! That bloody, disgusting, repulsive, cocky bastard of a Tiny..."  
  
"Aye, love, I agree," Jack said carefully. "He's a bastard. Now will ya relax?"  
  
I calmed down a bit, wandering about in my cell cursing beneath my breath. That damn Hearst, the duke, and all of their Tiny mates... Was this how they thought they could treat me, and my friends? Killing, raping? No bloody way, I wasn't going to let them get away with that...  
  
Seing Lily's dead body had made me angry. It had made me lust for revenge. Now... Now I wasn't angry, I was beyond furious. And I did no longer lust for revenge, I needed it. I'd swear on my mother's grave that I would make the duke and Hearst pay for their deeds...  
  
"Hey," Jack said, interrupting my thoughts. "Ya sure ya're okay?"  
  
"Fine, never better," I mumbled, walking about in the cell. "I'll make sure they suffer. But I'll tell ya this much, Jack: They won't do this to me again. And they won't kill no more of my friends. I won't have it!"  
  
"Aye, now ya've got the right spirit," Jack said nervously, clearly not dealing with the situation. I guess he didn't know how to respond to my bisarre behaviour.  
  
"I'll take care of them," I said. "They'll wish they were never born. If only I hadn't been jailed in here..." I looked at Jack. "And that, damn you, is YOUR fault, Sparrow, like I've always said!"  
  
"Oh, 'ere we go again," Jack said, rolling his eyes. "Look, lass," he said, still leaning against the bars, "I didn't exactly mean to get ya into this mess, but ya were in it from the beginning, being a family member of Goldee an' all. I'm just tryin' to save ya, when are ya gonna realize that?"  
  
"Save me?" I repeated. "For your own benefit, Sparrow. Because you believe if you save me, I will be convinced that you're a good person, one worthy of the Secret of Goldee, and that I will tell you where George is, and you'll through him find his treasure... But I won't tell you! Not now, not ever!"  
  
Jack rolled his eyes again, and left the bars to wander about in his own cell, trying not to get too annoyed with my behaviour.  
  
But I was getting quite furious by now, and suddenly noticed I was releasing all of my compressed anger on Jack. Why not, indeed. I continued: "But for now, we're trapped her in this stinking town, in JAIL! And you'll get hanged, something which I suspect you wouldn't exactly enjoy, and then they'll learn all about my father, and then they'll kill me too once they've found the island where he's hiding, and then..."  
  
I suddenly stopped. What had I just said? What had I said? WHAT?!  
  
Jack looked at me with an interested and curious look, the lust for adventure once again appeared in his eyes. "What did ya say?" he smiled. "There was a lot of words comin' out there, love, but I'm pretty sure I heard ya speak about yer father."  
  
"No," I said. "No, I didn't. I didn't even mention my father, I just spoke of George."  
  
Shut up, Sally! my thoughts beamed at me. Shut the hell up!!  
  
Jack lurched up to me again, his eyes smiling, just like his mouth, with excitement. "Now don't go lyin' to me, Sal, I know what ya said." He leaned against the bars, and his face was only inches away from mine. His eyes caught mine, and didn't let go. "What did ya say?"  
  
"N-nothing," I stuttered. Damn it, control yourself! Explain it! Make up some excuse, he'll never know. "I talked about you gettin' hanged, tha's all."  
  
Jack shook his head, still flashing his gold teeth with an evil grin. "Ya spoke about yer father, Sally. Ya said he's hidin' on some island, yeah? And then, when I asked ya what ya'd said, ya said ya'd been talkin' of Goldee... That's a funny coincidence now, isn't it?"  
  
I stared fiercly at him. "Damn you, Sparrow," I whispered.  
  
"I've heard that one a few times now," he smiled. "But I do believe ya just released some important information on me, love."  
  
I said nothing, just stared at him, searching desperately for an excuse. I found none. Jack had learned the truth, just for my accidentically slip of tongue.  
  
"George Goldee's yer father, ain't he?" Jack said with a grin.  
  
I hesitated, but then gave up, and walked away from the bars as I replied: "YES, okay? Yes, George is my father. Or he was, I like to think of it as no more, if ya know what I'm sayin'. I can't stand him, so I pretend he's just a family member." I turned and faced Jack. "But I bet the Tinys knows I'm his daughter, that's why they're so desperate to get information from me. And believe me, Jack, they'll kill me for sure once they know where he is."  
  
"Why? What's so big about ya bein' his daughter?" Jack asked curiously.  
  
I shook my head. "Oh no, Jack. I won't tell you anything else. I've already been stupid enough to reveal that George is my father. And the fewer people who know that, the better."  
  
"What's so big about it?" Jack insisted.  
  
"Drop it, Jack!" I said angrily. "I won't tell you! But believe me - if they know I'm his daughter (something I suspect they do), they'll kill me the second they've learned where he's hiding. They don't want no children of George Goldee to be walkin' on this Earth..."  
  
  
  
***  
  
There we are... It's a bit shorter than usual, sorry 'bout that, but I needed one chapter just for revealing this, and it got a bit short once the revelation was done... But please review, and I'll get right on to the next chapter! 


	10. Leaving for Dustman Island

Another chapter's up! Number ten, it's like an anniversary of some sort or somethin'... I don't know what I'm talking about.  
  
Anyways, enjoy, and sorry it takes so long before the updates, I'll try to write faster. ;) Now, read and review... ;)  
  
***  
  
  
  
LEAVING FOR DUSTMAN ISLAND  
  
  
  
I sat on the floor in my cell, leaned up against the cold stone wall. Jack, on the other hand, was as restless as I'd ever seen him. He strode about in the cell, occasionally mumbling a swear or two, as well as occasionally clutching the bars, as if only to express his annoyance with being jailed like he was.  
  
"Will you stop it?" I finally said.  
  
He stopped walking and stared at me. "What?"  
  
"Stop doing that, ya're so damn restless, it's annoying."  
  
"Well, pardon me fer tryin' to think of a way to get us outta here," he said angrily.  
  
"And you have to walk whilst doing that?"  
  
He sighed. "Yes. I have to walk. It's a way of expressing my anger, lass, so you'll just have to bear with me on this."  
  
"I can't believe it," I said. "Here I am, lost and jailed thanks to YOU, just been raped, and... and all you can do is treat me badly."  
  
"Hey," Jack said, pointing a threatening finger in my direction, "I'm not treatin' you badly. I've tried to do nothin' but treat you good, but ya seem to take it all the wrong way, for some reason. Now be quiet for one moment, PLEASE, and let me think."  
  
"What's the use, you won't think of anything," I sighed. "You've never been able to make your way out of prison for yourself - someone's always been there to save you. This time, though, no one is."  
  
I don't exactly know why I was being so hard on him. Jack had indeed done nothing but tried save me, although it had all lead us from bad to worse. And what had happened to me just recently - not to mention what had happened to Lily - had given me a rather special view on life in general, and even, I think, men. I felt dark.  
  
Not dark as in distrubed, mentally challenged after all I'd experienced, it was nothing like that. I felt dark in the way that people did when they'd experienced something so horrible it was beyond expressionable by words, only by actions. And seeing as how I did try to express myself with words - towards Jack - and it didn't work very well, I naturally got rather angry, although it wasn't my place to take it out on him.  
  
Jack stared at me, hesitating, as though he was trying his best not to give me any replies to my pointless accusations, when the noise of a door being opened was heard.  
  
It was the duke, and behind him followed the other Tiny from before, the third one.  
  
I got up and approached the bars, instinctively quite close to Jack's cell. I think he noticed, for he chose to stand as close to the bars which separated us as possible.  
  
"Sally," said the duke cooly when they'd reached our cells. "I have given you some time to think. And I have showed you a taste of what will happen if you choose to not co-operate."  
  
I hesitated, and took a glance in Jack's direction. He stared back at me with a concerned look, but could not offer me any help at that moment. I stared back at the horrid duke, fighting hard against the lust to spit him in the face.  
  
"Well? Do you really wish to know what else we are willing to do to make you talk?" the duke smiled, a disgusting smile that made even Jack look repulsed.  
  
"No," I finally answered. "I'll... I'll tell ya where George is."  
  
A huge grin appeared on the duke's face, just as a desperately worried look appeared on Jack's. "I am glad to hear it," the duke said. "Once you have told us where he is, and we have dealt with him, you are free to go."  
  
A blunt lie, of course. I knew they'd kill me the second they had their hands on my father. The risk of me being what they feared the most, was probably almost unbearable for the duke even at this moment.  
  
"Thanks, duke," I said with a sarcastic grin. "But I can't tell ya where he is."  
  
"What? This is no time for jokes, young Goldee!"  
  
"I's no joke," I said simply. "I don't know what the island's called."  
  
Jack looked at me, now less concerned, and more curious. I caught his eye I finally figured out what I had to say: "It was Jack. Jack took me there, Jack and I found it together - although we don't know its name."  
  
"How could you have found it without knowing its name?" the duke asked suspiciously, glancing at Jack, who could do nothing but slightly flash an innocent smile.  
  
"Well... I do know what its nickname is," I admitted truthfully. "Its natives calls it Dustman island. You probably haven't heard of it..."  
  
The duke shook his head, as if to confirm that he had never heard of Dustman, which wasn't surprising. Few people, except for the natives, had ever heard of the name Dustman.  
  
"We do know what it looks like," I quickly added. "Jack and I could find it together." This was our chance, I'd thought. Our chance to escape.  
  
"OR," the duke said, "I could bring you a map, and you could point as to which of the islands on my map it is. I am sure at least you, Sparrow, will be able to remember which island it is on a map, a Captain that you are and all."  
  
"Well, actually, mate," Jack said, speaking of the matter for the first time, "I couldn't. Ya see, the island's so small it's not even on the map."  
  
"Well, you could still point it out on a map though, couldn't you?"  
  
Jack hesitated. "I could... But it would be no guarantee, ya see, me memory's not what it was, maybe I'll point ya to the wrong place...!" He hesitated for a moment, then added: "But - I think I will be able to find it - with Sally's help, of course - if I'm there, ya know, on a ship, sailin', with the wind in me hair and all... Savvy?" He smiled again, flashing his many golden teeth.  
  
And the duke fell for it.  
  
***  
  
Jack and I were up on deck, seeing the small town that had caused us so much trouble slowly grow smaller in the distance. We were on our way now, with the Faithful, Hermann Hearst and another Tiny holding steady pistols pointed towards us all the time, whilst the duke kept his Captain company.  
  
"We will get rid of them soon enough," I heard Hearst say to the other Tiny, talking as if Jack and I weren't even there. "We just need them until we have found old Goldee."  
  
"I know that, Hearst," the other Tiny said harshly. "I am only here guarding because I had nothing else to do, and we were few members of the Law able to come with the Faithful to guard these criminals. I do not intend to practice small talk with a tailor's son."  
  
"Begging your pardon, lord," Hearst said, clearly offended. "But if I may say so, I am here to serve YOU, the Law. Nothing else."  
  
"Right, and you serve me best by being quiet," the lord said.  
  
Clearly, the duke showing such care for Hearst - him not being a Tiny - was a rare thing. The other members of "the Law" didn't seem too pleased with taking on an outsider on their legalizing adventures.  
  
Now, round about the time where the lord had told Hearst to shut up, a lot of things happened at once, and this is where my story takes a drastic turn: A forgiving one, I guess I'll have to call it.  
  
Because, for the first time since I'd met him, Captain Jack Sparrow managed to save me, in stead of getting me into more trouble.  
  
It was all thanks to a diversion which wasn't actually a real diversion - just a sheer coincidence.  
  
As we left the island and went off towards the high sea, the crew of the Faithful suddenly spotted another ship. Of course, it was the Black Pearl. Waiting to see the Faithful sail out, so they could safely come back without being attacked by the Tinys.  
  
"The Pearl!" Jack said immediately, being one of the first to spot his beloved ship.  
  
The lord and Hearst looked up as to see what he was referring to. The reaction came instantly. "DUKE!" Hearst cried. "DUKE!"  
  
They both took off without even thinking, running towards the wheel eager to tell the Captain and the duke that the Pearl was within reach, and that they should be firing at it and taking it down once and for all.  
  
Jack and I found ourselves all of a sudden without anyone guarding us, or holding any pistols up against our backs. We looked around for a second, and then Jack said, facing me: "What are we waiting for?"  
  
I shrugged, and so we both made a run for it across the deck, reached the rail and climbed up on it with speed, just as we heard the duke cry from the wheel: "Idiots! Stop Goldee and Sparrow! NOW!"  
  
Sailors on the Faithful ran towards the rail, but found nothing there - Jack and I had already jumped straight into the water, landing splashing and screaming, but still very much alive and free.  
  
We quickly started to swim towards the Pearl, where a rowboat had already been dropped to come and pick us up. Clearly, someone on the ship had seen us jump.  
  
I spat salt water and swam as fast as I could, but it wasn't too easy, wearing such a heavy dress as I was. However, I was resolved not to go back to the Faithful and its mischiefs - I would rather die...  
  
We reached the rowboat, featuring none other than Anamaria and two others of Jack's crew. Jack climed into the boat without troubles, but I found myself having difficulties getting out of the water, due to the heavy dress.  
  
Anamaria grabbed my hand and pulled me up into the boat.  
  
"Sorry," I mumbled, feeling a bit awkward for having hit her before, but she did nothing but smile casually at me.  
  
We quickly returned to the Black Pearl, and Jack didn't hesitate once he was on board - he went straight for the wheel, and was determined to get the Pearl out of reach for the Faithful. He had no troubles doing this. After all, he was Jack Sparrow, back on his beloved ship, and aboard the Faithful there was nothing more than some of the people he loathed the most. They wouldn't get to him.  
  
All this I took in, standing on deck of the Pearl once more, this time dripping wet all over, now observing the pirates all around run about and get the ship away from the island and the Tinys.  
  
And I finally, being away from the Tinys, saved from the brutality and hatred of the duke, and the "activities" committed by Hearst and the others, realized there was something I had to do.  
  
I went up to the wheel and gave Jack a small, quick hug.  
  
I looked at him, and he just smiled another of his stupid smiles, flashing the gold teeth. "Is that a thank you, love?"  
  
"As close as it gets," I replied. "Where are we going now?"  
  
An adventurous smile appeared on his face, his eyes shining eagerly. "Dustman island, love! Dustman island!"  
  
  
  
***  
  
There we are again...! Please review, everyone! 


	11. Welcome to Dustman

Here we are, eleventh chapter! This is exciting...! Haha, just kiddin'... well, go on, read it and have fun - and review...  
  
***  
  
  
  
WELCOME TO DUSTMAN  
  
  
  
I guess it had been partly my fault.  
  
I had, after all, said the natives' name of the island. But I must admit, I didn't consider Jack's presence whilst saying it - only the duke's.  
  
I'd revealed the natives' name of the island to him so he'd believe I was telling the truth, something I indeed was. If he hadn't believed me, he would only have done something much worse than what had already been done to me, and I couldn't have it. I needed to make sure the duke believed me, and so I'd revealed the name Dustman island, believing that no man such as the duke would ever have heard of what it's natives called it.  
  
And I was right, as suspected. The duke had in fact not heard of Dustman island.  
  
But it never occurred to me that Jack might had.  
  
He was a Captain, after all, and he'd been around in his life, a lot more than me. And when I, a girl not yet reached eighteen, had heard of the natives' rare name of their island, then of course so had Jack. He was a pirate, of course he'd heard it.  
  
So it was my fault, and I cursed myself as I stood on deck, watching Jack from afar, studying his every passoinate movement as he steered his beloved Pearl towards what he obviously knew was known as Dustman island, somewhere far in the distance.  
  
Damn fool, Sally. There was no escaping it now. What could I do? Jack would never let himself be convinced to turn around, not by me, anyways. Not by any, I guessed. He believed he was finally on the verge of finding the mysterious treasure of George Goldee, by first finding Goldee himself and then having him lead Jack to the treasure.  
  
Oh, if only Jack had known the truth. There was so much he wasn't prepared for.  
  
At that time, it occurred to me that maybe I should warn Jack for what was coming once he reached Dustman island. But then I reconsidered, and found another way of escaping the embarrassment and shame that awaited me - and my family name - on that wretched island Dustman.  
  
In stead, I attempted the impossible: Convincing Jack to drop his treasure hunt.  
  
"Jack?" I said, in the mildest and friendliest voice I could possibly forge, after having come to him by the wheel.  
  
"Nah, love," he simply replied with a stupid grin, making a quick glance in my direction.  
  
I sighed, already getting annoyed. "Oh, come on! Ya haven't even heard what I wanna say to ya yet!"  
  
"I think I know what it is," he said in a low voice, leaning a bit towards me and catching eye contact. Then he turned his focus back to the wheel, his eye on a (for once) fully functional compass, determined to make his way as quickly as possible to Dustman.  
  
"But you have to understand," I pleaded. "You can't go there! You don't know what you're doin'!"  
  
"Don't I?" he said. "Oh, then do tell me, lass, I'm dyin' to find out."  
  
"You're..." I hesitated. What could I say that didn't reveal any secrets of the family Goldee? "You're making a big mistake," I finally said. "Look, Sparrow." I approached him and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him away from the wheel to focus completely on me and what I had to say. "This is serious. You CAN'T go there. You don't know what's waitin' fer ya, it's a suicide mission, and not only for you."  
  
"Is that so?" Jack smiled. "It just so happens I've taken part in those before, Sal, and no suicide ever came from it. I'll take my chances."  
  
"Please, believe me on this!" I begged. "It's danger and death, nothing else, that awaits you there. Please, do not go there."  
  
"Give me a decent reason not to, love, and I won't."  
  
I had nothing to say. I couldn't tell him what was awaiting him on Dustman, it would be the end of both me and my father, not to mention the treasure of Goldee. I had to work something else out. I needed a plan, something to push Jack off the hook, make him believe the treasure - and father - was lost forever.  
  
But how? What could make him believe this?  
  
And then it struck me, like lightning. I knew what I had to say. But it couldn't be done until we'd reached Dustman, and Jack had to believe it was an honest admission coming from me.  
  
"Fine," I finally said to him, and walked away, my mind filled with thoughts and ideas on how to make the story I was going to serve believable for a suspicious and sly man like Captain Jack Sparrow...  
  
* * *  
  
Jack kept a discreet eye on Sally Goldee as she left his presence and went off across the deck, clearly in deep thoughts.  
  
He couldn't help but feeling drawn to her, and it felt strange and rather scary. When had this feeling occurred? Where was it coming from?  
  
All right, so he'd been attracted to her before. He was Jack Sparrow, after all, almost every young woman felt attractive to him. And he had tried to get his way with Sally Goldee innumerous times - with no luck, of course. Sally was a stubborn young lady, and (if she had implied what Jack thought she'd implied) did only allow herself to enjoy her body, as he'd delicately imagined it. At any rate, she probably had never allowed any man to touch her.  
  
Well, except for that one moment where Jack'd had his arm around her shoulder, but he suspected that was a once in a lifetime occasion.  
  
Nevertheless, he now realized he felt drawn to her. Maybe "emotionally attached", even. It had to have come when she'd hugged him, he thought. When she'd finally been nice to him, giving him something as close as it would get to an apology, through a friendly and, he'd decided, quite enjoyable, hug.  
  
And he found himself strangely attached in a way. Not in love, Jack Sparrow wasn't really capable of being properly in love. No, it was more like a sexual tension, or something of the kind. Sure, he would never have turned down a night with Sally if he was offered one, but there had never been any particular need for it. Now, it was like an unstoppable urge that kept occupying his every waking hour.  
  
It was getting rather annoying.  
  
And also, he decided as he stood there keeping his eye on the compass, making sure they were on straight course to Dustman island, it was getting in his way of thinking properly, which by his definition meant, to his own advantage.  
  
Not that he started thinking of what Sally felt, or caring about her wishes in the matter. It was nothing as vulgar as this, no chance in hell. Jack knew, if he now had his chance to get in touch with George Goldee and get his hands on the mysterious, legendary treasure of the old man, that there was nothing going to stop him. Not even a lust for Sally Goldee, or a slight care for her well-being.  
  
However, like he'd decided, it did get a bit in the way of thinking. For example, he feared at this point he would rather be focusing on how to seduce and tenderly kiss Sally, suppose to how to see through any of her mysterious plans on misleading him away from George and the treasure, as he suspected she was still determined to do.  
  
He shook his head, as if to release it of any thoughts of how Sally would look with lesser fabric on. Then he again focused his gaze on the ocean and task that lay before him, and realized what had just happened: Sally Goldee, the stubborn young lady who desired nothing else than for her father to be left in peace, had just given up on her precious argument to make Jack turn around and give up.  
  
That didn't sound too good in Jack's head. Why had she suddenly accepted his arguments, and walked away? Had she given in? Or was there another one of her plans beginning to form in the head of this mysterious lady? He wasn't sure. But the attraction he felt to her, he decided, was not going to get in the way of figuring out what she was up to.  
  
He wanted that treasure - not matter how big or small it was.  
  
It was, after all, a matter of honour as much as anything.  
  
* * *  
  
We reached Dustman island at night. Jack wasn't a bad navigator, and I hadn't expected him to be either. He'd known where Dustman was, and he had indeed brought the Black Pearl there in no time.  
  
It was the very same island, the one I'd thought of when telling the duke I was going to take him to my father, George Goldee. Jack had really known where Dustman island was, and he'd taken us there. It was nothing but my small backup plan left to save my family name and treasure for humiliation now.  
  
But I was certain, I would make it work. I would fool that damn old pirate Captain if it was the last thing I ever did. I would never let him find my father.  
  
Never.  
  
It was in the middle of the night when the Black Pearl entered the docks of Dustman island. As the anchor was released, I could see Jack's face in the moonlight, he was clearly considering whether or not to go into town tonight or wait until morning.  
  
I say town, but it was really nothing but a group of huts.  
  
You see, Dustman island wasn't exactly a well-known one, as mentioned before. I don't think it even held a real name used by the common people of the Caribbean. And even if it did, the name was rarely ever recognized when spoken. Dustman island was small, boring and quite honestly, completely horrible.  
  
It's "town" consisted of fifteen or so houses, all of them on the brim of falling to the ground. Dustman island's citizens were about the lowest form of human life in the Caribbean, if it's not too daring of me to say so. Almost none of them had any form of education, and their jobs consisted mainly of doing the humble tasks of animal hold and craftmanship that was required for the town to function as a town, although it couldn't really be called one, at least not by a normal human's point of view.  
  
I may sound harsh, but seeing is believing. And I'd seen Dustman island's town and people, and knew there was nothing there of value. I guess that's why my father had chosen it as his refuge.  
  
It seemed as though Jack decided it was no point in going into town tonight. It would be difficult to find father there in the middle of the night, and there would be no Tinys on a small island like this waiting to seek us out in the morning, so we'd be safe walking about in broad daylight. No one would recognize us.  
  
Unless, that is, if that one was to be my father. (This was, however, fairly unlikely...)  
  
And I knew, sadly, that Jack would make me point father out at some point. Jack didn't know what he looked like, after all, and he was partly relying on my help to find him, unless he was prepared to ask some of the villages for him. Although that could proove to be a stupid action, seeing as how George Goldee was wanted by the entire British Empire, Royal Navy AND the Tinys all together.  
  
And Jack wasn't stupid. He knew this, and was probably going to try and find George for himself - with my help, of course. Typical that damn Sparrow. He showed me no respect.  
  
Well, I'd give him what he wanted, all the assistance he could ask for. And then, I'd do as I'd planned, and play a fabulous performance on Jack to make him believe there was nothing for him on Dustman island.  
  
And then, my father, the Goldee family's shame and the treasure, could indeed rest in peace forever...  
  
  
  
***  
  
All right, there we are! Things are happening now...! Please review, lads! 


	12. George's Glade

So sorry it's been so long! But I've actually been to Mallorca (that's right!) for a week, and I didn't write anything while I was there, obviously... ;) But there was a lot of fine Caribbean-like beaches there, with its palm trees and everything, so it was quite a nice inspiration for writing another chapter once I got home...  
  
Anyways, read and review, here we go:  
  
***  
  
  
  
GEORGE'S GLADE  
  
  
  
It was about when sun broke, that we found ourselves leaving the Black Pearl and stepping down on the remains of the docks of Dustman island. They were really no more than a few barely standing pieces of wood, and there's no shame in admitting I felt rather unsafe crossing them.  
  
However, they weren't exactly big, and so we reached the town's "street" in no time.  
  
It was just Jack and me.  
  
He said he'd given the crew a "deserving day off", as he'd called it. After all, he'd said, they'd had a bad time and a lot of risks going about with all the Tinys on the last island we'd visited, and they had nearly lost a Captain. Jack said it was partly because of this, and partly because he couldn't see how any of his crew could find a man that only I knew what looked like, that it was just the two of us walking ashore.  
  
"All right," Jack said with a slight grin as we stood on the somewhat gritted street - if it so could be called. "How am I gonna convince ya to go get yer father to me, Sal?" he smiled.  
  
I hesitated. What would be the more convincing thing to reply? Deny with anger, then realize I had to do as he asked, or give in right away? I had to convince him everything was normal, or he would know I was up to something. "I really wish you wouldn't do this to me, Jack," I said, faking vulnerable. "But... Well, if it can stop you messin' up my life, then maybe I SHOULD tell you where daddy is."  
  
"Indeed," Jack said, this time without even smiling. "Lead the way, love."  
  
I sighed, then started walking down the single street of Dustman island. All the huts of this island were on one single street, and it looked no different from the last time I'd seen it - unless you count it's obvious weariness.  
  
As we went passing through the streets, Jack seemed to be noticing something from beside me. His drunkenlike movements made him constantly turn around, looking about the street and at the houses with a curious and possibly slightly disturbed look. I waited for the question that had to come.  
  
"Where is everybody?" he finally asked.  
  
"I don't know," I replied. "There's hardly ever anyone out on the street here. They're all working, constantly. Or sleeping. Or eating. Or crying for their miserable position in life, I don't know."  
  
"I see," Jack said, glancing suspect towards the silent houses as we reached about the end of the street. Another question was expected, and it quickly came: "You just led me through the street, darlin'," he said, "without ever stoppin' to see if yer old man was in any of those buildings."  
  
"Aren't you the clever one," I said. "D'you really think daddy would be staying in one of those huts? If the Tinys ever thought of searching every island - something I actually fear they have - they would have checked the houses on Dustman, and that would probably be it. But if that was the case, they'd find my father. So of course he's hiding in the woods," I smiled, hinting towards the forest not far away from us.  
  
"Ah." Jack finally smiled, turning to face the forest.  
  
***  
  
He was going crazy.  
  
He felt helpless. Incapable, even, something which was rare for him on any occasion.  
  
He did what he could to focus: Make Sally find old Goldee, so he could get his treasure. Jack knew this was all he had to do. Nothing more. Yet he found it so unbelievably difficult to focus on the case. All he could focus on at the moment, was Sally, and she was blinding him from anything else. Not neccessarily because she was particularly beautiful, or fun or charming, but simply because she was the lunatic Sally Goldee, the stuffy barmaid he'd met back in Tortuga, and she'd forgiven him, shown him care and given him a thank you - and a hug. Body contact, Jack called it. A hint, perhaps, for something more?  
  
Either way, it seemed to have become an obsession of his, and now he couldn't find out what Sally's little secret was. She was all different now - willing, in fact, to take him to old Goldee. Why had she suddenly changed her mind? WHY? Jack tried to focus, tried to figure out why she'd changed her mind, but could only think of the reason being that she felt the same attraction to him as he felt to her.   
  
This he thought because he loved the idea of what the two of them might be doing after he'd gotten his hands on George Goldee's treasure. And because he was so interested in this little idea, he couldn't seem to figure out what potensial other reason there was for Sally to behave like she did.  
  
And in this case, it could be vital to find out, or she'd have him twisted around her little finger before he could even blink. She would make a fool out of him, and he wouldn't have it.  
  
He was still the boss, as he'd always been. And although Sally now felt more attractive and, well, NEEDED, than before, he would not let that stop him. No. He just had to focus! Sooner or later, the truth would be revealed to him, one way or another. Yes, definitely. A clue of some sort would come, to indicate what she was planning. And then he'd be fine.  
  
Yes. That's the way it had to be, Jack decided. No worries, ey?  
  
***  
  
Jack took my hand, and with a smile and the oh so familiar lust for adventure in his eyes led me off into the forest. For the first time, I didn't pull my hand away. This wasn't a very nice forest, but Jack was in fact slightly an acceptable man, at least compared to people like the duke and Hermann Hearst, both men I would love to see the death of...  
  
I led Jack through the forest, and pretended to be anticipating a wonderous reunion with my father in just a few minutes. It seemed to sound reasonable enough for Jack, he nodded and agreed to whatever I said - probably just waiting patiently for the moment when he could finally face George Goldee and ask for his infamous treasure.  
  
Oh, if only Jack knew...  
  
"It will be nice to see him again," I said with a smile as we went through the woods. "I haven't seen him in seven months! It's been so long, and I dearly love him."  
  
"Seven months?" Jack asked. "I thought the last time ya met him was when he came to visit ya on The Cursed Villain."  
  
"No, it wasn't," I said truthfully. "At that time, he came to tell me where he was hiding, he'd just found a nice hiding place right here in this forest on Dustman island, and decided to stay here. He came there to tell me where I could find him. Then I visited some months later."  
  
"Right."  
  
Just as Jack, with an annoyed grumble, stepped in what seemed to be a dropping from some dog-sized forest animal, I regonized the knoll which behind it there was a small glade, perfect for a refuge like my father to stay hidden. "That's where he is!" I cried to Jack, happily having all the memories of daddy and his belongings lying about on the grass on the glade, making my joy sound as believable as possible to Jack. "Daddy! It's me, Sal!" I started running over the knoll, actually excited to see whatever may be on the other side. I heard Jack forgetting about the droppings and coming running after me.  
  
As we came over the knoll and entered the glade, I quickly stopped running. The sight, though I'd once imagined it in my mind, was still striking.  
  
All about lay the signs of that a man did in fact spend his days here: There seemed to be a small matress in one and, and a small table and a chair somewhat in the middle of the glade. Clothing and other equipment was laying about the place, and it did in fact look as though someone had lived there up until only a few days ago, then gone away in a hurry.  
  
Although this wasn't the case at all, my father being the typical type of man who can run away and leave everything behind, making it look like it's been left just recently...  
  
"Oh... dear me," I said, trying my best to look shocked.  
  
Jack was more shocked than me. "Was... was this it, then?" he said, strawling about on the glade, then turning to face me. "Was this where he'd been hidin'?"  
  
I nodded. "I... I thought he'd still be here! I really did..."  
  
I've never been a good liar, but this was the best I'd done in my life so far. All that was necessary, was to make Jack believe I really thought my father was to be here, and that I now knew nothing of where he is. That's all that was needed, I hoped...  
  
I stepped over to his abandoned matress, and - faking a state of shock and sorrow - sat down on it, as if paralysed. "How could he not tell me?" I whispered, acting sad as never before.  
  
Jack stepped closer and looked down at me. "D'you think the Tinys came here?" he asked.  
  
"I never thought they would," I sighed. "Maybe they did, though. Maybe he got away, and then again maybe he didn't... One thing's for sure, this happened recently. He must have left in a hurry."  
  
"Yes, I noticed that," Jack said, speaking in a way that indicated I was stupid for mentioning something so obvious. Was he getting suspicious? No, he couldn't be... How could be suspect anything? It all sounded so plausible.  
  
Jack hesitated for a moment, then took a seat next to me on the matress, carefully putting a caring arm around my shoulder. "Where could he have gone?" he asked.  
  
I must say I was a bit shocked. Sure, I was lying to Jack all the way, but did he really have to sound so obsessed with daddy's treasure? It was like nothing else mattered. Either Jack must have realized my sorrow was fake, or he just didn't care if a person had "lost" their father. I couldn't figure out which one was more probable. "I don't know, you idiot," I replied. "I don't know why he went, or where."  
  
"George had stayed here, on this glade, the last time you came to Dustman?"  
  
I thought about that for a moment. Had he? No, he hadn't. "Yes, he had. He'd always tell me if he went away, always! Something must have happened... Maybe Dustman's natives killed him," I sighed.  
  
Jack looked at me. "Why, that's an unusual thing to say about yer father with no fear for it bein' true, Sally," he laughed. "Ya're a weird lass, no question."  
  
I caught eye contact with him, and it actually felt nice. There's always been something about Jack's eyes, and now... He was so close. Holding an arm around me, sitting next to me in this secluded spot, just staring... It actually felt more tempting than anything ever had before, and it even seemed like it did to Jack too. And maybe he could forget all about daddy?  
  
No, that was hoping too much. He was after the treasure.  
  
Oh, but if only he knew...  
  
  
  
***  
  
Not too bad, was it? Lets hope the next one will be out a bit quicker than this one...! Review, please! 


	13. Giving in to Jack

Right, now...!  
  
This is what I'd like to call kinda the big turn of this story, if ya know what I mean... It's when things start to make more sense, and all the same a lot of other things start to make less sense. (And that made no sense...) But hey, at least, check out the title of the chapter - "Giving in to Jack"... That's gotta mean something, ey?!  
  
Anyways, I had a lot of fun writing this particular chapter, and I'd love some reviews on it!  
  
***  
  
  
  
GIVING IN TO JACK  
  
  
  
I do believe what happened that night could have been avoided.  
  
If it hadn't been for the rum.  
  
I didn't exactly get drunk, neither did Jack. Not properly drunk, anyways... It was more a mild affection, I guess one could call it. A push in the wrong direction, perhaps.  
  
What happened was this...  
  
Jack, after having had his arm around me for a second, seemingly caring, took off around my father's abandoned camp to have a look around. I guess, maybe to find some clues on where he might have gone.  
  
What Jack found, was half a bottle of rum. I guess that's what started it all.  
  
"Oh look!" he said pleased as he bent down to pick the bottle up from a stack of books and maps. "It's my best friend!" Eagerly, he opened the bottle and had a big draught. Apparently, this was to him like a light in the storm - one minute moment of happiness I suppose to all the disappointments he'd had during these last days.  
  
He came back and once again, took a seat on the matress next to me. Without hesitation, he handed me the bottle. "Here, have a swallow of this, love," he grinned. "I swear it will do a lot of good."  
  
I'd never really had any particular relationship to rum, or any sort of alcohol for that matter, but sure I'd tried some in the past. However, now it felt like actual drinking for the first time. I grabbed the bottle, and was pouring down rum. It had a strong, fairly powerful taste, but I knew it could help me. At that moment, I needed convince Jack I was in a state of shock and sorrow. And of course, being in that state, I would have gladly said yes to drowning my sorrows in rum, wouldn't I? So that's what I did.  
  
"Hey, woah, leave some for me," Jack laughed as I kept drinking. At last, he had to take the bottle away from me if he was to get any.  
  
It took us no more than half an hour to get rid of what was left in my father's rum bottle. I could already feel my head spinning.  
  
"Bloody hell," I muttered. "That felt... no, that FEELS... uhm, somethin'."  
  
"Indeed it does, my darlin'," Jack smiled, and stood up on rickety legs, still holding on to the now empty bottle. "It's mother nature's way of payin' ya back for all the shit that happens to ya durin' life! It's a debt, really, and it's our duty as the ones accepting the debt, to - well, to accept it."  
  
"Absolutely!" I said enthusiastically, and stood up to face him, rather than to remain seated like some sleepy person too sleepy to even get up on two feet... (I guess I was a bit drunk, now when I look back upon my reason to get up.)  
  
"So," Jack said, constantly swaying, trying to keep his balance. "We're gonna find yer ol' man, and his treasure, and live like kings. No reason to give up now, love! NO reason!" he practically screamed with happiness.  
  
"Oh no, Jack!" I laughed, grabbing his upper arm to prevent my falling down again. "You see, ya won't get your hands on that treasure! You don't even know what it is! Oh no..."  
  
"Oh, but I will soon enough," Jack laughed. "I'll get that old Goldee to tell me all about it! Once he's found..."  
  
"But treasure is so many things," I smiled, trying to clear my head. What was I telling Jack? Was I giving up a secret? Or just implying one? I couldn't figure it out, my mind wouldn't cooperate... It just wanted to talk, and to get some real contact with Jack Sparrow. Where it would lead, I couldn't tell.  
  
"Indeed ya're right, lass," Jack said, with a slight serious tone about his voice. "It's so many things." His face turned even more serious, and he gazed out through the forest, probably towards wherever the Black Pearl had docked. "It's... Beauty. Definitely beauty. And it's the Pearl, and it's good ol' golden treasure, of course..."  
  
"And me!" I said proudly, no longer considering the consequences of the things I exclaimed. "I'm a treasure! I'm Golden Sally, Captain Sparrow!"  
  
"So you are," he laughed and smiled, his eyes twinkling in the afternoon sun.  
  
I felt my balance failing me once again, and grabbed Jack's other arm with my other hand to make sure I could stay up. He seemed to enjoy it.  
  
"Need some help, love?" he asked. "You don't seem to be able to stand up."  
  
"Nor do you!" I laughed as he almost lost his balance and had to take several steps to prevent the both of us from falling over. I felt myself leaning my entire body weight and balance on him.  
  
"Wanna dance?" he asked with a grin.  
  
"What? Dance? There's no music!"  
  
"We'll make our own!" he laughed and grabbed me around the waist with one hand, and took my hand with the other. "We'll sing, my darlin'!"  
  
I could do nothing but laugh as he lead me through a rather unsteady, but acceptable, sequence of dance on my father's glade, singing old pirate songs or whatever they were... It was surprising we didn't fall over sooner than we did, but at last we found ourselves once again on the matress, having given in to one of the many affections given by the rum.  
  
We were no longer sitting on the matress, but actually lying down, beside one another, staring up at the sky. It was still daylight left, and nothing romantic or special about the sky, but it felt nice nevertheless. And I had Sparrow next to me... (Though not necessarily on top of me, as some women would have preferred.)  
  
"Wow," Jack whispered. "It's really early in the evening...!"  
  
"Yeah," I sighed.  
  
I was about to say something more - I can't recall what - when a hand suddenly found its way to my stomach, on the outside of my dress. Before I knew it, his full body had followed the hand and now he was pratically on top of me, as I'd feared... He said nothing, and did nothing, but looked down on me, holding himself up by his arms on the sides of my head.  
  
"Uhm, Jack...?" I hesitated, not knowing what to do or say. For a brief second, I felt sober and vulerable.  
  
"Yes, Sally?" he practically whispered, in a slightly husky voice.  
  
How could I feel so terrified? It was like my greatest fears came true. This was ten times more serious than any other occasions with men before, and now it was Sparrow himself. I'd dreamed of this moment in my sleep, but never ever wished for it to happen. That was for certain.  
  
Still... He was so tempting, yet so frightening. And why should he scare me? I knew if I didn't want anything to happen with him, all I had to do was push him away. He would never rape me, Jack Sparrow does not rape. So I'd be fine.  
  
What was exactly the problem? Did I WANT something to happen? Although it terrified me? Although throughout my life I'd decided I wasn't the type of woman that would let a man play around with me. And although, in the time when I first got to know Jack, I'd decided never to let him have his way with me, simply because he was a scallywag of a pirate, and I was a decent girl, the daughter of George Goldee...  
  
Yet...  
  
"Is there somethin' you'd be wantin' to tell me?" Jack smiled, and interrupted my thinking.  
  
I hesitated. One last time.  
  
"No."  
  
He smiled. Don't ask me why, that's just the way Jack does it. He so often smiles, and I love that smile. How could I have come to love it? It's impossible to tell. I used to think I couldn't stand the man, or at least that he was one I didn't want to have anything to do with, and now I felt so excited, terrified and yet pleased with being this close and serious with him. Maybe the rum had played some part, I didn't know.  
  
I guess I realized everything was up to him.  
  
* * *  
  
Jack studied Sally's face. She was so close. Not sober, and not arguing. Maybe even willing, Jack thought for a second. She certainly would have pushed him away by now if she hadn't at least considered the thought of something happening between them.  
  
She wasn't exactly the typical, beautiful woman. Her face was strange, special, but yet fair and loving, he saw, now that he'd gotten this close to her. There was more to Sally than hate and revenge. Sure, she could be tender, if one knew how to encounter it. And indeed, Jack believed he knew this.  
  
All he had to do, was...  
  
His thinking was interrupted as she spoke again: "Jack...?"  
  
What now? Had she finally made up her mind? And if so, what had she decided? Jack had hoped she wouldn't decide anything, because if that would be the case he could convince her what he preferred would be the right thing. But if she decided he was to be pushed off, there was nothing he could do about it.  
  
"Yes, love?"  
  
"Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"What exactly are you doing?"  
  
Damn this girl! Why was she being so forward about it? Nothing could be the right reply to a question like that. Whatever he now said, it would seem like the worst possible thing to have running through a man's head, and he would be pushed away for sure.  
  
"Why do you ask?" he finally said. "Can't you tell?"  
  
"I'd actually like to hear you answer me, rather than talk your way away from it." Sally smiled, something which to Jack made the situation even more difficult to sustain. Why was she suddenly acting so bloody nice to him? She'd never been nice before, and he'd known how to deal with that. Now, she was NICE! And with her being nice, Jack almost felt as though obligated to be nice in return, that was the real problem...  
  
"I have no answer, love, you're just gonna have to take what you get."  
  
"And what do I get?" she asked, to Jack's great pleasure.  
  
He smiled. Knowing what he did was fairly cliché and a bit cheesy, he still smiled, and then leaned in to give her the answer to her question: He gave her a kiss.  
  
Not a big one. Just a quick, gentle kiss to see her reaction. She seemed somewhat amused and surprised, although she should have seen it coming. Asking that question, it was like asking for the kiss itself.  
  
Normally, Jack wouldn't have been so gentle and hesitating. But, as mentioned before, he almost felt obligated to be nice to Sally, and treat her with respect. And, something that should not be forgotten, he was still after her father's disputed treasure, and would never get his hands on it if he treated her badly. He knew this much.  
  
A slight smile from Sally was enough - Jack took it as a sign he was allowed to continue. He leaned in to kiss her once again, this time more eagerly. And she returned the kiss, it seemed almost as though she was giving in. Jack didn't mind it...  
  
He believed the rum'd had a slight affect on them both, perhaps especially on Sally. But the reasons didn't matter anymore. All that mattered to Jack, was this girl and her presence. She was there, and she was accepting him. Letting him kiss her, on the lips, cheek, neck... Letting him touch, perhaps even explore, as he would put it, and simply enjoy.  
  
And it seemed as though she really enjoyed it herself.  
  
As thought, Jack thought, she'd given in...  
  
* * *  
  
I awoke the next morning, realizing it was rather early. The sun was just rising.  
  
The first sensation I got, was a terrible headache, but it wore off as I woke properly up. The thought of yesterday came to mind.  
  
Jack.  
  
Yes, definitely a lot of Jack was remembered. But, the more I thought about it, the less I could actually remember. The kiss was quite clear in my head, and it was surely enough an all right memory. What came after that, was blurry.  
  
I didn't remember.  
  
It had to be the rum, I knew this much. And I also knew I had probably gone all the way with him in my drunken state, not taking the chance of believing everything had simply ended with a gentle kiss or two...  
  
So I didn't remember it properly. But I knew I'd done it. Well, WE'd done it. Together, I knew I'd been just as much a part of it as Jack had. Being drunk, sure enough, but still. I'd given in...?  
  
I looked around for the first time since I'd awoken.  
  
I was lying on the matress, actually wearing my dress, but it did indeed look as though it'd been on and off during the night. I guess Jack wasn't to blame, although it was quite tempting, and would have been even more tempting hadn't it been for those memories of the night before I actually DID have, that seemed to be very nice and pleasing to recall...  
  
I sat up on the matress and looked around. My father's glade looked like it had since the day he'd left it, which was probably about seven months ago by now...   
  
This, I remembered, I had not told Jack...  
  
Jack!  
  
Where was he?  
  
I quickly glanced around, suddenly looking everywhere for him. My eyes searched through the glade only to find he was no where around.  
  
Jack had left me. That just made no sense! Why would he leave, and where? He still needed me, he wanted to get my father's treasure. And to get that, he needed me to get to my father.  
  
That's when it hit me - my father...!  
  
Jack was gone. And daddy... Oh no. Something very probable could have happened while I'd been asleep, something I would have prevented, if possible, from happening with my very life...  
  
"Jack!" I suddenly cried, got up from the matress and took off into the forest, knowing exactly where to go...  
  
  
  
***  
  
Oh dear, there we are...!  
  
We're closing a big climax or whatever now, I guess one could say.. And again, sorry it takes so long before every update! It's just I gotta make sure I'm pleased with the chapter before I publish it, and it takes a while to write as well, after all...  
  
Well, please review, everyone! I'd love it!! 


	14. Ol' Man George

Righty, 14th chapter! Get ready to be introduced to a new character... And guess who it is?!  
  
***  
  
  
  
OL' MAN GEORGE  
  
  
  
I ran off through the forest, towards a particular area I'd only been once before, but which was impossible to forget.  
  
I feared that if Jack had reached this special place, then the secret of Goldee would have been revealed to him, and the Tinys and the British Empire would finally have their theory of my father confirmed... It would mean death for both him, me and everybody else who knew of it, including Jack.  
  
Though I wouldn't hate it if Jack was to be killed as a consequence to him revealing this dreadful secret.  
  
I ran through the forest, crying out for Jack as I went. Where was he?  
  
The forest lead a bit up into the hills of Dustman island, and it here the area of the forest I feared was. But I didn't reach it, for a voice cried out my name:  
  
"Sally! Over here, love!"  
  
I turned, and there was Jack, about twenty meters away, at one edge of the forest. I recognized it, I'd chosen it myself once to scout out at the sea. It was a cliff, right there on the edge of the forest, which gave a view of the entire strait of Dustman island. And Jack had gone there obviously only to scout. I took a deep breath and relaxed, then took off and met with Jack by the cliff.  
  
"You really shouldn't take off like that when I'm sleeping," I said to him.  
  
He smiled a bit, though he did not seem particularly happy. "No worries, love. Though you did run and scream like the devil himself were behind you."  
  
"I... thought the Tinys had gotten to you," I said, making up a quick excuse.  
  
"They hadn't," Jack said, turning towards the outlook from the cliff. "But they will."  
  
I turned my gaze on the strait and saw what he saw - then gasped. A ship was docking next to the Black Pearl, and it was no common ship, nor a pirate's. I recognized it immediately, just as Jack had: It was the Faithful.  
  
Duke Watson's ship.  
  
"How could they have found us?" I worried, turning to Jack.  
  
"Oh, there's a lot of ways," he said, staring out towards the sea. "They could have followed us, although we did not see them, there's still the possibility... Or they could have found some sailor who knew where to find Dustman. After all, Sally," he said, turning towards me, "you did in fact give them a name to go by."  
  
"Now I wish I hadn't," I said quietly. "What are we goin' to do?"  
  
"We are going to hide," Jack said, then turned and started walking off through the forest.  
  
"Hide?" I said, following him. "Where are we going to hide? What about your crew?"  
  
"Oh, they'll be fine," he answered, still walking. "We have to hide, because the duke and his little ladies are bound to find your father's glade, and they'll go searching through the entire forest. Therefore, we need to hide."  
  
"But where?" I asked, walking fast at his side.  
  
"I thought I saw something earlier today," he replied, "in the forest, a bit up in the hills. It's not far from here. I think it's the entrance to a cave."  
  
"A... a cave?" I stuttered. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true! Of all things possible, Jack had spotted what could be the entrance to a cave. THE cave.  
  
"No, wait, Jack!" I said, and he stopped, looking curiously at me. "Uhm..." I said. "We shouldn't go hidin' in a cave, if it at all IS a cave there. I bet there's an animal in there. This is a forest, after all."  
  
"There's no animals in this forest," Jack smiled. "And if there are, and they're in this cave trying to give us a hard time, I'll give THEM a hard time. I'm not ready to hang just yet." And at that, he started walking again towards the cave.  
  
"Please, Jack!" I begged.  
  
"What's your problem now, Sally? It's almost as if you WANT to be caught."  
  
"No, it's not that," I continued, following him. "But I... I'm afraid of caves!"  
  
"Afraid of them?"  
  
"Yeah! They're... small, right? I find it really scary, Jack, I really don't want to go hiding in a cave."  
  
"Well, then suit yerself," he smiled. "Just don't tell them where I am when they catches you."  
  
"No, Jack, please, don't do it," I kept begging, but he didn't stop. At last, he reached the cave entrance in the hill, and yes, it was a cave entrance. Jack nodded, satisfied. "Thought so," he said, and took a step inside it, looking a bit about in the dark. "It's big," he said to himself.  
  
"NO!" I finally cried, and grabbed his arm. "You CAN'T go in there, Jack, please! Don't go in there. It's dangerous. It's a cave, after all, it's not such a good idea, Jack..."  
  
He looked at me, studying my face. I tried to hide the desperation that was growing inside me, but I think he saw through it. "You're very weird, you know that, Sal? But I believe I understand some of it now. Come on, we can't stay out in the open, I'm sure the duke is on shore by now, going from house to house askin' fer us. And with so few houses, he'll be up in the forest in no time," he added, and started crawling into the cave, pulling me along.  
  
It was very dark in there, and it got darker as we crapt further in, but Jack was right. It was a very big cave.  
  
Thought I'd known this for the last seven months...  
  
"All right, we've gone far enough now," I said to Jack. "Let's not go too far. Like I said, I don't like caves."  
  
"We'll go a bit further," Jack replied. "This is really a big cave! It's bigger than the one on the Isla de Muerta, it's really big!"  
  
"Let's stop now," I said again, even more worried. How could this be happening?  
  
"I think there's a turn here, almost like a corner," Jack said, paying no attention to me. "It lead to a bigger hollow, we can stop there. Or wait, maybe it leads to another exit...? I can see daylight, you don't have to worry, darlin'."  
  
I heard what he said, and would have tried to stop him, but it was too late. Jack turned around the corner in the dark before I could hold on to him, and seconds later I heard him cry out in amazement.  
  
I slowly followed him into the light and took in the sight once more.  
  
Like Jack said, was there a huge hollow we'd reached. The roof was almost fifteen meters high, and the "room" was just as wide in both directions. It was enormous. And on the walls were the lights. It wasn't sunlight, but lamps put up here. They weren't big, but lit light enough for Jack to see all the other things that was in this hollow.  
  
On the stone ground there was another matress, similar to the one we'd spent the night on. All over this great hollow there lay books, maps and bottles, as well as leftovers of food and other things. The room looked like a huge mess, and looked clearly more active than the glade.  
  
This Jack noticed.  
  
He turned back towards me, and his face showed no effords to hide the obvious anger he felt towards me. Alright, so he'd understood it. He knew I'd lied to him.  
  
"Sal," he said slowly, "I'm going to give you ten seconds to explain all this."  
  
"I might need a bit more than that," I said.  
  
One thing was lucky, though, and it was what little remained of hope for me: My father was no where to be seen. Most likely he was crawling around in some of the many passages in this cave, and if I was lucky he wouldn't reveal himself at all, and I could make up yet another excuse to Jack.  
  
"Well then," Jack said, and climbed down to the stone ground, where he took a seat on one of my father's old, rickety chairs. "Empty the bag, lass. It better be good."  
  
"It's not what you think," I said.  
  
"You knew about this cave," he interrupted. "There was a very good reason for ya not wantin' me to go in here, wasn't there?"  
  
"Yes, but it's not what you think! I was shamed of this," I fabricated. "That my father had lived in a cave, like this... But you must believe me, daddy left this cave before he left the glade! I've never actually seen this, only known he stayed here for some time."  
  
"Why didn't you just say that, if that were the case?" Jack said. "There's somethin' very smelly about all of this, I'm tellin' you. I don't believe ya, Sally."  
  
I sat down in front of him on the ground. "I thought you wouldn't. I haven't been completely honest with you at all times, after all."  
  
"At all times?!" he said, standing up. "You've NEVER been completely honest with me!"  
  
I got up, facing him. How dared he behave in this way to me? "Have you ever given me a reason to? All you've ever wanted was to take my father's treasure away from him! It's not too strange that I choose to lie!"  
  
"I saved you, remember?" Jack cried. "From the Tinys! TWICE!"  
  
"You're the reason I got into all that trouble! You hid me in that stable or whatever it was where they found us!"  
  
"D'ya think I wanted for them to catch us? What purpose could I have?" Jack replied furiously, waving his arms frantically. "They'd have hanged me too, ya know!"  
  
"This is all a load of shit," I said to him. "You have caused me nothing but trouble! I would have managed just fine without you! I would have gotten away at The Villain, and I wouldn't end up stranded on this dump of an island where you manipulated me into... onto a matress!"  
  
"Oh, yeah, like you didn't enjoy that," Jack said, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Enjoy it?! I was glorious, flawed! I didn't know what was going on!"  
  
"You seemed happy enough at the time," Jack argued.  
  
"You took advantage of me, you distusting lotman!"  
  
"You seem to be rememberin' it quite perfectly. You weren't that drunk, lass, you just don't have the courage to admit you ENJOYED a night with Captain Jack Sparrow!"  
  
"I DIDN'T!" I screamed.  
  
Suddenly, another voice spoke: "Treasure?"  
  
It was humble and insecure, yet loving. I recognized it at once, and fell back onto the ground.  
  
Jack turned towards where the voice had come from. Coming out from one of the passages was no one else but my father, staring at me, and then turning at Jack, where his gaze remained.  
  
Jack, however, looked down at me, more furious than ever.  
  
"I didn't want you to know, not ever," I whispered. "But he's here."  
  
  
  
***  
  
Sorry, I keep giving these cliffhangers their way about in my story...! But I love ending the chapter with something like this, it gives it a bit of drama! Anyways, please review, and I'll get right on to chapter 15! We're almost at an end, folks! 


	15. The Treasure

Finally, 15th chapter! SOOOOO sorry it's been so long, and that this chapter's a bit short! But we're well on our way, so enjoy now!  
  
***  
  
  
  
THE TREASURE  
  
  
  
I looked away. I didn't want to see Jack's expression, though I could easily imagine how it appeared.  
  
A thought came to my mind at that point: Why do I care about what Sparrow thinks? After all, I'd never liked the man particularly, even though, sure enough, he'd saved me and taken care of me, he was still only after one thing - my father's "treasure". Why shouldn't I lie to Jack if it meant protection for my father?  
  
Another movement caught my eye: It was father, he was moving closer to us. His body language hadn't changed much since the last time I'd seen him. He was still walking like a hunchback, almost crawling, with his hands holding tightly on to each other, as if it was dangerous to let go. The same hopeful, though slightly suspicious look in his eyes was so familiar I almost wanted to weep. He'd always had those eyes, although so much else of him had changed.  
  
But the last thing I wanted was to get sentimental and cry in front of Jack. That would reveal so much more, and I was still hoping to get away, not even having to tell the story of daddy and his little treasure.  
  
"Treasure?" Father's voice spoke again, and his gaze was fixed on Jack.  
  
The pirate seemed unease, as if not certain where to look and how to act. It wasn't too surprising. Jack had to notice my father's strange behaviour, even if he was furious as hell, and maybe he found it difficult to response to it. That would have been understandable.  
  
"No," my father whispered as he was less than three meters away from us, still looking hopefully towards Jack. "No, my little boy? Not my little boy any longer, but still my little boy...? Isn't it? Boy?"  
  
Jack could do nothing but stare.  
  
I had to do something. I knew dad's talk would make Jack understand. Understand what my father had become, why he was in hiding, why he called Jack "my little boy"...  
  
I quickly got up from the floor and ran across the space to my father. I gently grabbed his arm and tried to calm him down. "Daddy?" I whispered.  
  
His face slowly turned away from Jack to look at me. It was a look of amusement, and perhaps slight curiousity. "...Anne?" he whispered.  
  
"No, daddy, not her," I said. "Me. Sally, do you remember?"  
  
I felt Jack's gaze burn, he was clearly studying the situation, still without a word. I knew he was suspecting it by now, he had to be. He was smart, after all, I had to admit that.  
  
"Anne?" my father said again with wide eyes. "Anne has changed, changed so much... She looks nothing like Anne, my little boy, and neither does he, oh no..."  
  
"Daddy, calm down," I practically begged, tugging his arm. "There's nothing to worry about, really. Not Anne, and not the little boy. It's Jack, daddy. This is Jack Sparrow."  
  
Father turned to look at Jack again, then shook his head. "Not a little boy any longer, and not mine... No treasure, no boy, just... Jack?" He tasted the word, as if it sounded impossible that this man's name was Jack. Or that Jack was even a word or a name at all.  
  
"Yes, father, he is Jack, not the boy," I whispered, hoping Jack wouldn't pay too much attention to this conversation. "There is no boy no more."  
  
"Why does Anne speak so sadly?" father whispered, staring about in the cave, as if longing for something to appear. "She has not come, has she? Oh no, it is all a lie, and I have no treasure! No treasure!" he screamed.  
  
"Daddy, calm down!" I begged.  
  
He looked at me. "Daddy?" he repeated, shocked. "You are no little boy."  
  
I sighed, trying hard to fight the lust to break down and give up on the situation. "I know, daddy, I'm your little girl. Do you remember, Sally? Little Golden Sally?"  
  
My father slowly sat down, leaving me standing as he hit the stone ground staring about in the cave, not particularly noticing neither me nor Jack anymore.  
  
I hid my face in my hands for a second, trying to calm down. As I removed them, Jack had approached me and stood about an inch from my face. "THIS is your father?" he said.  
  
"Yes," I simply replied.  
  
Jack hesitated for a moment, glancing down at daddy for a second or two, then shaking his head as if he didn't believe it. Finally he said: "What's wrong with him?"  
  
"He's not well."  
  
"Not well? And what's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"That he's not well! Lost his head! Off the hooks!" I cried, not caring whether or not my father heard what I said of him - he wouldn't understand it even if he did.  
  
Jack hesitated again. "You mean he's... Not well?"  
  
"Yes, exactly."  
  
"How bad is not well is this case, Sal?" he said, speaking with a voice that sounded almost like a warning: If daddy wasn't capable of helping Jack find his long lost treasure, Jack wouldn't be merciful no more.  
  
"Very bad," I replied, looking down at my father, who was now rubbing his hands together frantically and whispering a name and something I couldn't make out followed by a constant repeat of "my little boy".  
  
"What you're sayin', is this," Jack said. "Yer old man is too mad to talk sense, and ya've dragged me through half the Caribbean for absolutely nothin'. Am I right?!"  
  
"I didn't drag you no where!" I yelled. "I TOLD you it wasn't a good idea for ya to search out my father! Now you know why, Sparrow! Daddy's off the hooks, there's nothin' you can do about that! And I warned you!"  
  
"Not about ol' George bein' completely beyond reason!" Jack cried, waving his hands in the air, which seemed to be something he did to control himself from waving them at me or my father in stead.  
  
"I told you not to go lookin' for him!"  
  
"But he is... mad!" Jack beamed, talking a few frantical steps about in the cave. "You could have told me that!" he added, pointing a threatening finger in my face.  
  
"I didn't want to," I sighed. "Do you think I want the world to know my father's mad?!"  
  
Jack calmed down for a second. "All right, wait. He's still babling on about the treasure. Maybe I CAN get some sense out of him, I think this Goldee family owe me that much."  
  
I wanted to stop him, but before I could do anything Jack had gotten down on the floor next to my father and was talking to him, staring into his eyes eagerly. "Listen, Georgie. I know you're upset and not too well, and that's... too bad. But seeing as how this IS the case, you won't be needin' that treasure of yers now, do ya? So if you could just tell me where to find it -"  
  
"Anne does not know!" daddy sighed, with tears in his eyes. "Anne does not know!"  
  
"But if you tell me, I can tell Anne!" Jack insisted.  
  
"Do you even know who Anne is?" I asked annoyed.  
  
"Shut up," he whispered to me, and turned back to my father. "Let me tell Anne for you where this treasure is hidden! Where is it, Georgie? Go on, say it now!"  
  
"Anne wanted to know, oh yes, she did," father went on. "But I could not tell her! She said yes to me, she really did! Agreed on everything, let me take such a nice treasure away! And I could not tell her anything!"  
  
"I know where you get the fancy part of your talk, Sal," Jack commented to me. "Your father must have been a topping man once."  
  
I sighed. "He was."  
  
"Now Mister Goldee," Jack continued, "where's my treasure?"  
  
Father's face turned and focused on Jack's. "YOUR treasure? No, he is only mine! My treasure! Only mine!"  
  
That's when Jack noticed: "'HE is only mine'?" he quoted. "The treasure is a 'he'? Or is this possibly another one of yer father's imaginative little ideas?"  
  
I sat down on the nearest chair, deciding to give up. I couldn't hide the secret now, Jack would never stop asking questions. It all traced back to the 'treasure', and Jack wouldn't rest until he knew that which there was to know about it. "Daddy's right on that, Jack. The treasure is a 'he'..."  
  
"What are you talkin' about? It is then? Who is he? A wealthy man?"  
  
"No," I replied. "It's all daddy has to hang on to. It's not a wealthy man or anything like that, it's simply his treasure. His son."  
  
Jack stared at me for a second, then finally spoke definite: "You'd best better tell me about that, little Golden Sally."  
  
I sighed.  
  
Fine.  
  
  
  
***  
  
Right... Sorry it's so short, it's been a while! And I just needed to start a conversation and clear up what's wrong with Georgie-boy... But the next chapter will be a great one, so stay tuned!!! Please review! 


	16. The Secret of Goldee

ALL RIGHTY!!! This is the 16th chapter, the really revealing one! Sorry it's taken so long, but it took a while to summarise all of this stuff...  
  
And sorry if any historical facts are a bit incorrect in this chapter, I took advantage of my "artistic lisence"... But let me know if there are some really nasty mistakes I should deal with!  
  
  
  
Oh, and one more thing! Could someone please tell me what a 'Mary Sue' really is? I've seen people comment on some stories having Mary Sues in them many times, but I've never really fully understood what one is...  
  
So could someone please tell me what's typical for a Mary Sue? What is it? :)  
  
Thanks, and please review...! ;)  
  
***  
  
  
  
THE SECRET OF GOLDEE  
  
  
  
I rubbed my face wearily and sighed, with Jack's gaze fixed on me.  
  
"So there is no treasure. Well - sure, there is, but it's not really a treasure. It's daddy's son."  
  
"I never knew you had a brother," Jack commented.  
  
"I barely know it myself," I said. "He's my half brother. Same father."  
  
"And let me guess: He's what's causin' all the fuss about with the Tinys, ey? Why's that?"  
  
"Well... It's a long story, really. It goes back twenty-one years, back when daddy lived in Britain. He was an aristocrate, a wealthy and respected man. Handeled the law good, dealt with criminals, took care of problems... He was well respected among the British Empire for this."  
  
Jack stared at me. "He was a Tiny, wasn't he?"  
  
"Back then they were really respected everywhere," I said, as if to excuse my father's chosen line of profession. "They did a good job, at least in Britain. Daddy was one of their leaders, he did very well for himself, and for the Empire. He was often invited to dine with the King and the Royal Family, that's how important he was to the country.  
  
"But a problem first ocurred when father fell in love with Anne."  
  
"Anne?" Jack repeated.  
  
"Yes, Anne. She's married to the King of Denmark, and set to be the British King's heir if he has no children."  
  
"And he still has none, isn't that right?"  
  
I nodded. "He's got none. So Anne is most likely to become Queen when he's gone, unless some miracle happens that brings him a child. The thing is, Anne fell in love with daddy as well back then, at those times when she was in England. They got to know each other quite well, you might say..."  
  
"As well as the two of us then?" Jack grinned.  
  
"Better," I replied annoyed. "They got very well along indeed. Father became obsessed with her."  
  
"How do you know that?" Jack said. "You weren't born."  
  
"He told me," I said angrily, then added: "...before he went mad."  
  
"Right."  
  
"He loved Anne, I really believe he did. And he had a lot of excuses to see her, seeing as how he was an infamous Tiny back then. George Goldee, no criminal could defeat him, they said..."  
  
* * *  
  
Old George Goldee tilted his head up to listen. The girl spoke of him, he was sure of that. She spoke of him as though she was a shadow - same was the man called 'Jack' - what was important was the story that was being told. Anne was mentioned. And the treasure, the little boy, the wonderful boy. And the horrible past of being a grand member of the Law in their prime days...  
  
George remembered. Maybe he was off the hooks, but his memory was intact. And he remembered... He remembered Anne, running through the great hall towards him...  
  
"George!" she called out to him, and he smiled. God, how beautiful she was. And she loved him, just like he loved her.  
  
"George," she said again as she reached him, and he couldn't help but quickly embracing her, even though there was a slight risk as someone could appear at any second.  
  
"No, my love, we mustn't," Anne said, and George discovered she was less cheerful than she used to be.  
  
"Is something wrong?" he asked her, holding her hands caringly. "Bad news?"  
  
"They may be both good and bad," Anne replied with a serious look. "I have something to tell you. Are you ready, George?"  
  
"Of course I am."  
  
She sighed. "I am with child. Your child."  
  
George stood there for a second. How was he supposed to respond? How to act? The very idea of a child being created by him, and with the woman he loved, was fantastic. He just wanted to embrace her and hold her and be happy forever, but he knew it couldn't be as easy as that. If it had been, Anne would have been happy too.  
  
Still, he felt he should ask. "Why are you not happy then? It is a wonderful thing."  
  
"Oh George, you do not understand," she sighed. "You know I cannot carry your child. We are not married! I have been unfaithful to my husband in Denmark, and for that I am condemned... But it is not the King's child! And he will know it, for I have been in Britain for too long now for it to be him. Oh George, I do not know what to do...!"  
  
George held her, stroking her gently through her hair. "It will be all right, love. Do not worry, I will sort everything out. When are you going back to Denmark?"  
  
"Soon," she replied. "And we must figure out what to do by then. I cannot carry this child, George, I simply cannot!"  
  
"I will take care of everything," George said again. "It will be all right."  
  
But nothing was all right, George remembered... Everything had gone terribly wrong. Shortly after George had figured out about Anne's child, one of her maids did as well, and soon the word was all over the castle that Anne was with child. But whose it was, no one knew - except that it could not be her husband's.  
  
Anne had kept mostly to herself for a period after this, and no one dared ask her who the father of her child was.  
  
George remembered his despair back then, the fear of people knowing it was him, and the fear of never knowing his own child. But more than anything he still dreaded the day she would go back to Denmark. Then it would take ages before she came back, and maybe he would never get to love her again. That was the worst fear...  
  
And all of this had driven him mad. At last he had decided he needed to talk properly to Anne, one on one. And so late at night when everyone had gone to bed, George remembered having sneaked into her bedroom in the evening...  
  
"Who is there?" Anne's soft voice spoke.  
  
"It is me, George," George replied, approaching her bed in the dark.  
  
"George!" she said. "You should not be here! Not at all! No one must figure out who the father is, if they do not, no one can prove it is not the King of Denmark... In any case I cannot see you any longer, you realize that?"  
  
"But I have to see you," George argued. "I live for the soul purpose of the chance of maybe seeing you, that is why I go here every day I can. I need you to be happy, Anne. Without you, I will go mad."  
  
"Do not talk of madness, George," Anne sighed. "It is all madness. But I cannot carry your child as yours, it must appear to everyone as the King of Denmark's child."  
  
"So I will never know my own child then?" George asked, terrified. "You cannot deny me knowing my own child, Anne...!"  
  
"I wish there was another way," she sighed, leaning back in the bed.  
  
"As do I," George agreed. For a moment there was silence, and then he whispered: "I do love you dearly, Anne."  
  
"I know," she replied. And then she was silent, and George couldn't see her in the dark to know how she felt, and he decided it was the right time to leave her in peace.  
  
But as he left her room and entered the hallway, he saw a light in front of him.  
  
And there was the King of Britain himself, holding a candle, staring vividly at him. "Mr. Goldee!" he exclaimed. "In Queen Anne's bedroom?"  
  
George had nothing to say. At that moment, he made a fast decision: That he would never let his child grow up without knowing him. He would give up his job, his friends, his freedom - anything, to see the child grow up. Maybe would he even give up Anne...?  
  
At that, he quickly ran off through the hallway, escaping the shocked gaze of the King, out of the castle and into the dark streets of London. Everything was lost now. His affair with Anne was unveiled, and there was nothing he could do about it. Except ensure his child's future...  
  
* * *  
  
I took a break in telling Jack the story and glanced over at my father. It looked almost as though he was paying attention, perhaps remembering along with the story as I was telling it. That would have been something quite typical for my father.  
  
Jack looked up at me. "It really is a long story," he commented. "Go on, then."  
  
I sighed. "Very well... So daddy was now wanted by the British Royal family. Of course they didn't accept his affair with Anne, especially since she was with child and all... They would have killed him if they got their hands on him, but father had a lot of ways of hiding. He got away from them, they never found him in London.  
  
"But he still had his contacts that were faithful to him, and through some certain friends he soon learned that Anne was sailing back to Denmark with one of the King's ships. Daddy's best source could tell him that there certainly was something very suspicious about this trip, a lot of things pointed towards something weird that was meant to happen... Father didn't like the idea of it. Whatever made them so paranoid and uptight about this trip back to Denmark had something to do with Anne's child, he knew it. And he feared the worst.  
  
"So daddy made a plan. He got in touch with a few partly friendly pirates through a pub and managed to bargain with them: For a good deal of money they were to follow a ship at good distance, then let him do whatever it was he needed to do and afterwards take him to the Caribbean. It wasn't such a bad plan, now when I think about it."  
  
"He was ensuring the safety of the child," Jack said. "Hm. No, not a bad plan."  
  
"So the day came when the ship taking Anne to Denmark was leaving the bay. And daddy and his pirate mates were close behind, following the British Navy ship steady on through the seas.  
  
The journey took months, something the pirates weren't exactly pleased with... But father managed to convince them by offering them more money. He got even more suspicious when he saw how much time this ship spent at sea - he was certain they really could have reached Denmark a lot quicker if they had wanted to. And then finally, after almost eight months, the British ship suddenly stopped wittingly sailing out at sea. Time seemed to be standing still at the ship, and daddy knew something was going on..."  
  
* * *  
  
George listened in. Yes, the girl was telling the true story. He remembered it... The fear he felt when the British ship had stopped... He remembered...  
  
"Something is definitely happening," he commented to the pirate Captain.  
  
"Aye, lad, I'm sure it is," the Captain replied. "Maybe this is what we've been wastin' our time waitin' fer fer the last eight months then, Mr. Goldee?"  
  
"I fear it might be," George said. "Though I do not know if I am ready."  
  
"What do ya wish ta do?"  
  
"I wish to take your rowboat and row over there, it will be dark soon, hopefully the will not spot me. I need to get in touch with someone on the ship."  
  
"Feel free ta loan yerself the rowboat, mate, but be sure ta be comin' back. We don't want nobody cheatin' us, ya hear me?"  
  
"No worries there, Captain," George smiled, "I need you to get away from here."  
  
"Aye, ya said so," the Captain said, "but maybe it's been all a game. Maybe it's yer mates over at tha' ship, waitin' to take ya aboard and back to England."  
  
"They are no friends of mine," George explained. "If they find me, they will kill me."  
  
"Aye, tha's good enough fer me," the Captain laughed, and George borrowed a rowboat.  
  
As night fell, he rowed his boat and approached the ship in silence. He was in luck, for the moon was hidden behind the clouds that night, and no one on the British ship spotted him. Reaching the ship was considered by George as the easiest task. Now came the hard one: He had to find the window of the cabin in which Anne stayed.  
  
Having spent the last few months on a pirate's ship, George had learned many things he'd earlier known nothing of - for example how to climb the most difficult of areas. This new ability allowed him to climb the ship with the simple use of a rope borrowed to him by the pirate Captain. George managed to pull himself up alongside the ship's side without being heard or seen - most likely the crew were all under deck for whatever reason.  
  
George found himself swaying in the rope in front of the cabin windows on starboard side. Slowly he began working his way across the side of the ship, looking into every window to find the one which would lead him to Anne's window. He finally found it.  
  
And on the inside, he could see Anne and three of her maids, Anne being in bed, with two of the maids attending her, whilst the third one was holding something small in a piece of cloth in her arms, something which without mistake had to be Anne's child.  
  
A fifth person was to be seen in the room: George recognized him easily, it was Anne's own father. And he seemed not too happy with the situation. George couldn't hear what they spoke of, but Anne and her father were clearly disagreing on something.  
  
Finally Anne seemed to say something final which made both her father and the maids leave the room at her command, giving Anne a moment alone in the cabin with her newborn baby.  
  
George knew this was his only chance. He knocked on her cabin window, and she immediately heard the sound and looked up. He could see her grabbing the bed sheet with one hand in shock, trying not to scream. Who would have suspected George Goldee would be outside her cabin window at open sea?  
  
"George," she whispered as she'd opened the window. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I cannot explain it to you, it is too complicated," he replied. "Your maids or someone else may return at any moment. Hand me my child."  
  
"What?" Anne stared at him.  
  
"Hand me my child, Anne!" he insisted. "Do not lie to me, I know what they intend to do with it. There is a reason why your trip to Denmark has lasted for this long. You have been sailing in circles, waiting for our child to be born. Now that he is, your father wishes to throw him out at sea and pretend it never happened, so that your husband will never know. Am I right?"  
  
"Oh George," Anne sighed. "I am so sorry! How did you guess?"  
  
"I am no fool," he smiled. Then his face turned serious again: "But I will not let you kill my precious child."  
  
Anne smiled, tears in her eyes. "It is a boy, George. Is it not wonderful?"  
  
"Yes, it is," he said. "Please. They will kill me if I am spotted. Hand me our child, and I will make sure he grows up safe. Tell your father you threw him out at sea for yourself. He will believe you, for our son will no longer be aboard this ship."  
  
Anne hesitated. Could she do this? Betray her father?  
  
But then on the other hand... She did not want her child to be killed. And the purpose of these actions out at sea will be accomplished at any point - the secret child of Queen Anne would be gone forever, and her husband would never have to know...  
  
Before even giving herself the chance to regret, Anne handed the newborn baby to her dearest George and kissed them both goodbye. "Find him a good nurse who will feed him well," she said. "Do not let anything happen to him!"  
  
"Do not worry," George smiled. "I love him already. I will treat him like the greatest treasure in the world. Goodbye, Anne."  
  
And at that, he lowered himself and his baby son down to the rowboat and brought them both back to the pirate's ship, which would again bring them to an unknown island in the Caribbean where George could find a fostermother for the boy, and then George and his child could live happy, worriless lives...  
  
* * *  
  
I paused, and let Jack enumerate.  
  
Gazing over at my father, I saw he was in deep thoughts. Sure he was mad, he was crazy, but in his own little mind, there was still sanity for him. And I believe he managed to recall on what I'd just told Jack. My father was no stupid man, even if he was insane.  
  
"The British Navy," Jack said, "the Tinys and the Royal Family of England all want to get their hands on George Goldee here - or anyone named Goldee, for that matter - in order to get their hands on your half brother."  
  
"The possible heir to the throne of England," I completed.  
  
  
  
***  
  
There we are. Reviews, please!! 


	17. Bringing George out of Reach

Right! We've got yet another one, I felt a bit guilty for it taking so long on the last chapter I decided to make it happen a lot faster this time...  
  
A comment to jenny: Yes, I've been inspired by "From Hell"... It's a great film, isn't it? ;)  
  
***  
  
  
  
BRINGING GEORGE OUT OF REACH  
  
  
  
Jack scratched his head and took a glance over at my father. Dad was sitting calmly on the stone floor, rubbing his hands anxiously together, clearly in deep thought.  
  
"He doesn't seem all that mad," Jack concluded.  
  
"He isn't," I said. "Not really. He's just... changed."  
  
"Well, one thing's for sure," Jack commented, "this explains the ridiculous way of speak you have about you. You get the fancy talk from yer father, and the scallywag-like talk from your mother." He stopped and looked at me. "Who was yer mother then? I take it it wasn't Anne?" he smiled.  
  
"Of course it wasn't," I replied. "My mother was the nurse. The lady daddy hired to take care of his son. She'd just born a dead child, and was more than willing to take care of my half brother. She felt sorry for father. After all, he claimed to her he'd lost his wife while she was giving birth, and now he was all alone, just coming from England to raise his son in the Caribbean... Mum really liked him, and they formed a sort of relationship. I never got close to daddy though, not as close as Esteban did."  
  
"Esteban? That's an unusual name."  
  
"Daddy liked it. Esteban Goldee, he thought it sounded so... majestic. But it didn't matter, because Esteban changed his name when he was eighteen to avoid the Tinys, when they first came to the Caribbean. Father was never willing to do that, though."  
  
"So let's see if I've got this straight," Jack said, standing up. "It's all been a total waste."  
  
"I told you it would be."  
  
"Fine, yeah. Now that's all right," he said, waving his hand assuringly to me. "But what's NOT all right, is the company we've got on the outside of this little cave here. Watson and his little crew of Tinys are probably running all over the island as we speak. Which is the real problem: I'm stuck here for who knows how long with you and your insane father."  
  
I glanced over at dad. He was rubbing his head now, frantically, and his gaze seemed fixed on something that wasn't even there. I knew I'd never fully get used to his behaviour. I remembered how he'd been when I was younger, so strong and reliable and, well, sane. But I think the insanity developed when he lost contact with Esteban.  
  
My brother had gone off out at sea while I was still working in Tortuga. Father was always travelling, trying ot avoid any confrontation with the Tinys. But he'd still always return to Tortuga to try and meet up with Esteban whenever he could. However, after Esteban started sailing out frequently, they rarely ever saw each other. And slowly father began to believe his son - his treasure - had abandoned him.  
  
The fact that he had me, his daughter, always present in Tortuga, didn't seem to matter... At some point he stopped coming as often as before - he'd only show up every sixth month or so to inform if he'd moved to another island, in case Esteban came and asked for him. I guess it was the way things had to be. My father wasn't as depended on me as he was on Esteban, it would always be like that. I'd accepted it.  
  
Still, the fact that I was the one who was chased all over Caribbean, the one who had to take care of father AND face the trying Jack Sparrow, wasn't what I thought of as fair.  
  
Jack dug through a few maps and books on my father's desk, but seemingly, he found nothing of interest. Finally he turned back to me and said: "What will you do now then, Sally?"  
  
"I don't know," I finally said. "Stay here, I guess, and take care of daddy. I can't be no where else, Watson'll be searchin' the Caribbean for me forever. He know me by apperance now, same goes for Hearst. They'll never stop looking, I'm sure."  
  
"Ssh!" Jack suddenly said, freezing his movements and staring about in the cave.  
  
"What?" I whispered, standing up.  
  
"Ssh," he said again.  
  
We were silent for a while, then I heard it too. It was the sound of boots hitting rock. Then a few, silent voices, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.  
  
"It's Watson," I whispered. "It has to be."  
  
Jack nodded. "They've found the cave..."  
  
I took a deep breath. I knew this cave well enough to know there was only one way out - and no chance to remain unseen in it if they decided to search the whole place.  
  
I looked at my father again. They would find him. But how much they ever tried, they'd never get any sense out of him, and they'd never learn any information on my brother. They'd torture my father for sure, practically kill him, and still learn nothing. They would make his last few living months hell, I knew it. There was no avoiding that.  
  
"We've got an advantage," I whispered. "Because we're in the middle of the forest, most likely there won't be more than two or three Tinys to deal with - I doubt they sent a lot of them through the trees."  
  
"That's true," Jack said. "But they'll still know where your father's hiding, won't they?"  
  
That was true. And at that point, a solution came to my mind, a horrible one. But it was possibly also the only one...  
  
Could I be considering this? It was horrible! Inhuman! But the best thing to do, everything considered, I decided. But I would be needing Jack's help. At this point, I wasn't sure if he would provide it. It would be a crazy thing to ask for, especially after he'd learned he'd gone through all this trouble only to learn that the 'treasure' is a twenty-one year old man named Esteban.  
  
I turned to Jack and caught his eye.  
  
"What?" he finally said.  
  
"I've got a favour to ask," I whispered.  
  
He frowned, curiously. "What?"  
  
"I want you to shoot my father," I said.  
  
Jack's look stayed upon me, and he didn't speak for a short while. Finally he managed to produce a slight smile, followed by two words: "Why, exactly?"  
  
"Because I don't want them Tinys getting' their hands on him," I said angrily. "They know where he's hiding now. And he's too off the hooks to be able to find a new hiding place even if we do get away from them, something which I highly doubt. They'll bring his life to ruins, the last part of his life. Now, he's sad, but he'd got happy memories and he's, well, free. If they get to him... I think it's better for him to die than to face the duke. Do you see what I'm sayin'?"  
  
Jack stroke his beard, considering. "Why, yes, I do," he said. "And it's a fine idea. But why would you ask me to shoot the old man?"  
  
"Because I couldn't stand to do it myself," I said. "That's obvious... If you kill him - that'll be all right. You're a pirate, Jack, you practically kill for a living!"  
  
"Hm."  
  
"And it would all seem better if you did it than I, I mean, his own daughter can't kill him now, can she?"  
  
Jack glanced over at my father, who was still playing with his own hands. "George," Jack said. "Would you prefer it if I didn't kill you?"  
  
"Anne is laughing now, isn't she?" my father replied, staring dreamingly back at Jack. "She is happy, is she not. With George, but not with George! And the treasure is lost, to her and to George... To me!"  
  
"He doesn't seem to mind," Jack commented, turning to me. "But I'd hate for a fine lass to dislike me for shooting her father."  
  
"I wouldn't dislike you, I'm ASKING you to do it!" I said angrily, hearing the sounds of the Tinys approaching closer for every moment. "Please, it would be like freeing him, wouldn't it?"  
  
"You say you won't hate me for it, so I believe ya," Jack said, and pulled his pistol out of his belt. "You'd better not see this, love, so turn away."  
  
I turned my back to him before I had a chance to regret my awful decition. Had it been the right one? What if we'd managed to escape upon the Tinys, and get father away to some safe refuge? What if I'd given up on him and his hope to easily?  
  
A bang silenced my thought.  
  
I could hear my father's body his the hard stone floor, and Jack put away his pistol.  
  
He'd shot my father.  
  
He'd shot my father.  
  
Jack Sparrow had shot my father.  
  
Had I asked him to do something to terrible? Something so awful and mean, had I asked the pirate to kill my own father? It was impossible.  
  
My head was spinning. I couldn't focus. I think Jack was talking to me, but I had no idea what he said. It was all as in a mist, and I turned around only to realize the one thing that was clear and visuable in it was my father's dead body. My feet were about to fail me.  
  
But then I heard a very familiar voice: "At last, we found you once again. The party has finally come together now, has it not, Sally?"  
  
The duke Watson.  
  
  
  
***  
  
Right... A bit short, but hey, that happens... Reviews, please? 


	18. The Final Confrontation and Goldee Close...

Okay, guess what... It's the last chapter! This turned out to be a long story, but now it's come to an end, and I hope everybody's pleased... If not, I'll just have to continue the bloody story! (Which I have done...! It's called "Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Goldee Children"... If you liked this one, check it out too!)  
  
Anyways, read and review please!  
  
***  
  
  
  
THE FINAL CONFRONTATION AND GOLDEE CLOSER  
  
  
  
The duke grinned at me, then at Jack. "I should have suspected two of such bad heritage would join together," he said. Behind him came two more men, both dressed in the familiar outfit the Tinys wore. I quickly spotted that one of them was Hermann Hearst.  
  
"You never manage to surprise me, Sparrow," Watson smiled.  
  
"I don't intend to, actually," Jack commented.  
  
"Now then, Sally," the duke said, smiling at me with a raised pistol. "Where have you been hiding George Goldee? Where is he?"  
  
I slowly pointed towards my father's dead body on the ground.  
  
For time duke, time seemed to stop for a second or so. Then he burst out in rage and madness. "Are you insane, girl?!" he cried, waving his arms frantically, partly at father's body and partly at me. "Have you killed him?! He has clearly been shot, has he not! This is insanity! And I shall have none of it," he threatened, poiting a finger towards me. "None at all! You carry this dead beast's name, and so therefore you must also carry his secrets. What are they? Where is his child!"  
  
Jack couldn't help giggling, and I had to give him a harsh stare to make him shut up. I didn't want him revealing anything more than neccesary.  
  
"I don't know," I answered the duke angrily. "I don't know where the child is. George would never tell me anything about it. So you might as well give up."  
  
"No chance in hell," the duke whispered, shivering with anger. Then it seemed as though an idea struck him, because he suddenly threw away his pistol and fell to his knees over my father's body, searching frantically through his clothes. Then it hit me: Obviously he was looking for some evidence or clue as to where my brother Esteban could be. It seemed to be all that occupied his mind.  
  
"Search this cave!" he beamed to his two friends, Hearst and the other Tiny. They quickly obeyed orders, and started looking through all of daddy's belongings.  
  
I realized there and then that it was my once chance of revenge. Obviously the three Tinys thought they had Jack and me under control, and they were too eager now that they'd found George Goldee - even if he was dead - to put off any of Jack's weapons. Before the pirate himself managed even to seem surprised, I had thrown myself at him and grabbed his pistol from it's socket. Within seconds I had it pointing at the duke.  
  
For a few seconds, nobody but Jack noticed, and he said nothing. Then it all happened at once, and the duke and his fellow Tinys stood up realizing the tense situation.  
  
"Stand still, Watson," I warned. "Or you might gain another hole in that body of yers."  
  
"Do not act out of stupidity, Goldee," the duke said. "You cannot kill a member of the Law, they will hunt you down and avenge you."  
  
"I feel I'm doin' the avenging," I replied. "For Lily."  
  
The duke hesitated for a moment, looking curiously at me. "Who?" he finally said. Only to trigger even more anger that'd been building up inside me.  
  
"My dear friend Lily," I said, "who you killed. I found her body."  
  
Then I remembered something. What Hermann Hearst had done to me. And I decided, I wanted Watson to see it all. I wanted him to be afraid, and to die screaming and begging. I wanted to humilate him.  
  
And so I started by showing him what I was capable of. Quickly, I turned the pistol towards Hearst, who froze immediately. "N-not me!" he beamed.  
  
"I owe you," I smiled. Then I pulled the trigger, and without a warning Hermann Hearst fell to the ground. It felt good.  
  
Of course, the last remaining Tiny reacted spontaneously to this. He leaped forward and was ready to pull his sword, but Jack took him by surprise and struck him down on the stone floor. As the Tiny went down into unconsciousness, Jack found it - apparently - a bit amusing to take the opportunity to use this man as a chair. He sat down on the Tiny, as if to observe the show.  
  
I took care of Jack's pistol and pointed it back to Watson, who had through all this just been standing there, as if paralyzed. Clearly he was not so brave when he himself was in danger. That didn't surprise me.  
  
I smiled at him. "I don't like you, Watson," I said, just for the fun of it. I wanted him to beg.  
  
"I know," he simply replied, and gave me no pleasures what so ever. He was standing stiff cold, as if already dead but still in some way breathing, not begging for mercy or life. Maybe he believed in his heart that I would spare him if he acted bravely about it.  
  
He was wrong.  
  
"Give my best to Lily," I said to him, and fired the pistol again. It went straight through the duke's head, killing him on the spot.  
  
"Wow," Jack said after a few seconds, standing up. "That was a lot of killings on one day, ey? What do you say we get the hell out of here?"  
  
I looked at him.  
  
Sure, he'd taken care of me, that was the first thought that leaped to my mind. He'd saved me, but only because he believed the secret to the Goldee family was a treasure, not a child who could very well end up being the heir to the British Throne. Nevertheless, Jack had taken care of me. I knew this.  
  
Yet, looking at him at this point, I saw no pleasure or satisfaction. I saw insanity, and I felt disgusted. It had its reasons, and I knew them. Although I myself had asked for it, because I knew I wouldn't manage to do it myself, Jack had still killed my father. He was the one who'd killed the insane old man known as George Goldee, and there was nothing no one could do about it.  
  
I know it sounds crazy, because after all, I'd killed more people in that cave than he had. But he'd killed my father, and I realized he'd been right to hesitate in doing it: I couldn't forgive him, even if I wanted to. He'd feared exactly this, that I'd never get over the fact that he shot daddy.  
  
"Where will you go now?" I asked, not looking directly at him.  
  
"Oh, I don't know," he smiled. "Back to my ship, I suppose. The Pearl's waitin' for me, love. Is there somewhere you wish me to drop you off?"  
  
I hesitated, then replied: "No. No, I don't want to leave daddy. I want to stay."  
  
"What, here?" Jack asked, laughing. "Now that's just stupid, Sal. The Tinys' ship is still at bay, and they're bound to go looking once their beloved chief doesn't return. You don't want them findin' ya here, darlin'."  
  
"You're in bigger trouble than I am," I said. "I'll just hide in one of them sidetunnels or somethin', I'll be fine. But if they come here findin' all these dead Tinys, and seeing your ship down there, they'll be even more eager to get to ya."  
  
"I can handle them," Jack smiled.  
  
"Well, go off then," I said, still keeping my look focused on anything but him.  
  
I didn't look up for another few seconds, and when I finally did, all I saw of him was his shadow heading through the cave's exit. And then he was gone.  
  
* * *  
  
A few months later, or maybe even years, Jack Sparrow found himself stopping at an island in the Caribbean called Isla Orchila, not too far away from Warren island, the very island where Jack and Sally had started their little escape from the Tinys.  
  
Jack and his crew only stopped on Isla Orchila for supplies, and didn't intend to stay long. Nor did they. But Jack found, as always, an unstoppable need to drop by a pub before he went back to his Black Pearl. The desire for alcohol was inevitable.  
  
He spent all the last hours of the day in this pub, and found himself as last so drunk he fell asleep by the counter. To him, it was all casual routine. There was no fear of meeting anybody Royal Navy or Tinys in this pub, that was for sure. He could relax. And so he did.  
  
Jack awoke about seventeen hours later, his head still aching. He was no longer in the pub. No he found himself sleeping in a stable, sharing a booth with a rather small, smelly horse. Hay was everywhere, and he was more than a little annoyed when he got up and had a look around to see where on Earth he'd got to.  
  
As he stood up, he spotted what had to be a stable boy a few booths down. "Hey!" he called. "Hey, stable boy!"  
  
"Ya talkin' to me, sir?" the boy said, leaving the horse he was attending and approaching Jack. "Wha' can I do fer ya?"  
  
"May I ask where the bloody hell I am?" Jack said, and as he asked, he felt there was something familiar about this boy...  
  
"O', yer on Isla Orchila, sir, bu' I s'pose ya already know tha'," the boy grinned. "Yer in the stable of Mr. 'arry 'earst. 'e's the uncle of tha' member of the Law, ya know! Oh, what's 'is name again?"  
  
"Hermann Hearst," Jack confirmed. "I've met him, actually."  
  
"O', 'ave ya, now?" the stable boy grinned. "Seems like fun, bein' a member of the Law, don't ya think? Although I've gotta say, I've 'eard about some bad thin's happenin' to tha' 'ermann 'earst. They say 'e never returned 'ome!"  
  
"Oh really?" Jack grinned, still swaying a bit, trying to deal with his headache, and trying to sort out his spinning mind. "Well they were right, weren't they. I've also 'eard he's dead."  
  
"So i's true, then!" the boy laughed. "See, tha's why I'm 'appy I'm just 'ere tendin' the 'orses, ya know? I's a lot safer, I'll tell ya! What might yer profession be, sir?"  
  
"I'm a sailor," Jack quickly replied.  
  
"Ah, the ocean, ey?" said the boy. "Tha' too sounds like fun, but I 'aven't got the will. I think I'd get seasick if I was to go on one of 'em ships. No, stable's the place fer me, sir, tha's for sure! I'm tellin' ya, i's mighty fine workin' fer this 'earst lad, 'e pays fine!"  
  
"Really?" Jack said. "He must be doing better than his nephew did then."  
  
"No question there. This is a fine place to be workin', Mr. 'arry 'earst never took too strongly to bein' a Law member and stuff like tha', although 'e did actually get the offer once. An' tha's more than you can say for his nephew!" he laughed.  
  
"Indeed," Jack smiled.  
  
"Mind you, 'e's faithful enough though," the boy continued, "Mr. 'earst loves 'is 'orses, but 'e loves 'is country even more, an' 'e's loyal to the King. If 'e ever found somethin' the Law was after, 'e'd sure tell 'is nephew all about it. If 'is nephew is still alive, o' course!" he laughed.  
  
He was about to open his mouth again, but then a voice down the stable cried out: "Hey boy! Boy! Esteban, get over 'ere, I need a 'and with this bloody stallion!"  
  
"Comin'!" the boy cried back, and then turned quickly to Jack: "I've gotta go, sir, bu' it was mighty fine meetin' ya an' all, hope ya'll enjoy yer stay 'ere on Isla Orchila, ey?" And the he took off away in the stable and was gone.  
  
Jack thought about it for a second, then realised that this stable boy had looked a lot like the man he'd shot back on Dustman island all that time back. It was a funny coincidence too, that this particular boy, who seemed brought up far away from anything called political conflict and in a safe and distant home, also should be named Esteban. But who would investigate such a thing? Who would ever know that this young boy, whose last name was probably something quite different from Goldee, could indeed be some sort of heir to a throne far, far away from the Caribbean?  
  
And the fact that this boy was workin in the stable of Hermann Hearst's own uncle, put a pleased smile upon Jack's face as he strolled out of the stable and made his way back to the harbour and his beloved ship, the Black Pearl. 


End file.
